Malcolm. — Toxicitij of Tiifu F>-uif a ml Sr-eJ. 5 



(d.) 20 grm. seed (sample I), previously extraofced wibn uapiitha, was extracted 

 with chloroform, which removed a further quantity of green oil. After driv- 

 ing oE the chloroform the oily residue was extracted with 100 c.c. water, 

 filtered, and concentrated to 10 c.c. Of this 5 c.c. given hypodermically 

 produced no symptoms. 



The conclusion to be drawn from these experiments is that the oil, 

 or oils, has no toxic action. It is probable that the chloroform extracts 

 contained some tutin, for tutin is soluble therein to a small extent, but 

 the amount was either originally too small to produce symptoms or it 

 underwent destruction in making the hot-water extracts. 



Methods of extkacting Tutin. 



Although at present there seems little likelihood that the pure 

 substance, tutin, will ever be of any therapeutic or other commercial 

 value, it may be of use to workers on the subject to add a note on the 

 methods of extracting it. The best source of tutin is the seed — ripe or 

 unripe. Drying in the air probably does not lead to any loss, but 

 crushing and grinding, especially when combined with watery extrac- 

 tion and evaporation, lead to considerable loss. So far as my present 

 experience goes, the best method is to extract the oils from the dried 

 and recently crushed seed with mineral naphtha, and then extract the 

 residue with ether. The ether-soluble material can then be again 

 extracted with naphtha to remove more of the oils, and the result is an 

 extremely toxic material, which can be further purified as described by 

 Easterfield and Aston. 



Summary and Conclusions. 



1. No evidence was obtained of any toxic substance in the juice of 

 the ripe tutu-fruit. 



2. The green petals of the unripe fruit contain as much tutin as other 

 green parts of the plant. 



3. Both ripe and unripe seeds contain between O'l per cent, and 0'6 

 per cent, of tutin, being about double what is found in young shoots in 

 the natural state. (When the water percentage is taken into account 

 there is not much difference.) 



4. The constituents of the seeds soluble in naphtha and chloroform 

 (oils and resins) were not found to possess any toxic action. 



5. The sugars present in the juice of the berry appear to be a mixture 

 of dextrose and laevulose. 



Eeferences. 



FiTCHETT, F., 1909. Physiological Action of Tutin, Trans. N.Z. Inst., vol. 41, 

 pp. 286-366. (This pap^r gives a full list of previous work on tutin.) 



Malcolm, J.. 1914. Some Experiments on Tutin and Tutu Poisoning, Trans. N.Z. 

 Inst , vol. 46, pp. 248-54. 



