388 



Art. XVII. Proceedings of the Academe/ of Sciences at 



Paris, 



The following is an abstract of a paper read before the 

 Academy, entitled Chemical Researches on Cinchona^ by MM. 

 Pelletier and Caventou. 



The existence of morphium, an alkaline body in opium, was 

 announced in 1816, by M. Serturner, and confirmed by M. 

 Robiquet. Until 1818, no further discovery of this kind was 

 made, but then being assisted by M. Caventou, I sought after 

 other vegetable alkalis, and we very soon published an ac- 

 count of a second body of this kind, which was called strych- 

 nine ; and we shewed that the energetic action exerted by the 

 strychnines on the animal system were due to this substance. 

 About the same time M. Boullay ascertained the alkaline na- 

 ture of picrotoxine, the active principle of the cocculus Indicus, 

 and shortly after we made known the existence of another of 

 these bodies in the Brucea Antidysenterica, since called Bru- 

 cine. We then found an alkaline substance in the eminently 

 poisonous family of the colchicum ; this substance, named vera- 

 trine, is remarkable for its sternutatory powers. Finally, MM. 

 Lassaigne and Fernie found an alkaline principle in the delphi- 

 nium staphisagria, which they called Delphine. The substance 

 discovered by M. Vauquelinin 1812, in the Daphne, should also 

 be classed among the vegetable alkalis. Lately M. Brandt has 

 announced the discovery of several alkaline substances in the 

 belladonna, aconite, ^c. 



If we consider the analogy existing between the action of 

 these bodies on the animal economy, and the action of the sub- 

 stances from which they are obtained, we cannot but conclude 

 that it is to these principles that the vegetable preparations owe 

 their power. These, and similar considerations induced us to 

 extend our researches to other active vegetable substances, and 

 the cinchona naturally drew our first attention. 



