37° 



THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 



[November i, 1884. 



Experiment III. — Some fresh pulp mixed with a little 

 wat r was given to a pigeon without any result. 



'Experiment J >'.— The pulp given to a pigeon, as iu 

 Experiment III., without any effect. 



Ecper ment V. — 3 gram of the inspissated pulp was 

 administered to a frog and produced no effect. As the 

 quantity of alkaloid contained in the amount of inspiss- 

 ated pulp administered to the was frog was extremely 

 s nail, and considering the fact that in the first pulp 

 which was administered to pigeons there would be still 

 less, owing to the large quantity of water present, we 

 requested ~Dc. Ondaatje to repeat the two last experi- 

 ments, using larger ami weighed quantities of the pulp. 



Experiment VI. — 2'6 grains of the iuspissated pulp dis- 

 solved iu water was given to a frog and no effect fol- 

 lowed, but on administering twenty grains more convul- 

 sions speedily came on, commencing at the lower extrem- 

 ities, and death resulted iu forty minutes. 



Experiment VII. — 2'0 grams of the inspissated pulp mixed 

 with water was given to a pigeon. Almost immediately 

 after violent tetanic convulsions set in and the bird died 

 in twelve minutes. 



These experiments conclusively demonstrate the poison- 

 ous nature of the pulp, and show that its action is mainly, 

 if not entirely, due to the strychnine which it contains. 

 Birds can \iu doubt consume a certain quantity of the 

 fresh pulp with no fatal effects, for the proportion of 

 strychnine present in the semi-liquid mass is not large, 

 as subsequent analysis shows. Obviously, if eaten to more 

 than I his extent, fatal results will ensue. 



The conclusions from these physiological experiments 

 were strictly confirmed by a chemical examination of the 

 pulp. For this purpose the inspissated pulp was used, 

 which was prepared in the following way: — The gelatin- 

 ous pulp was squeezed from the seeds into a wooden 

 bucket, when dirt and other foreign matter was removed, 

 after which the semi-liquid pulp was dried in the sun for 

 one month. The partially hardened mass was then flat- 

 tened out on a plate and again dried in the sun for 

 oin- month. A dark-brown firm cake of pulp was then 

 obtained, having a slightly aromatic odour. This was sub- 

 mil ted to chemical analysis. We have already (I'harm. 

 Journ., [3], xiv., 1025) described a new glucoside called 

 Loganin, which was obtained from this pulp.* In order 

 to estimate the aVkaloidal constituents the pulp was dried 

 at 100° 0., when it lost 22 per cent of water. The 

 dried pulp was finely powdered and exhausted in an ex- 

 traction apparatus with boiling chloroform containing 25 

 per cent by volume of absolute alcohol. The iogauiu 

 which crystallized as the percolate cooled was filtered off 

 and the total alkaloid was estimated in the liquid by a 

 process which has been described in a previous paper (Pharm. 

 Journ., [3], xiii., 1053). The liquid was well agitated with 

 two successive portions of dilute sulphuric acid, and the 

 alkaloid extracted from the aqueous liquid by chloroform 

 after excess of ammonia had been added. Any loganin which 

 was not removed by crystallization remained in the am- 

 moniacal liquid. The amount of residue obtained corre- 

 sponded to 2'4 per cent of total alkaloid in the dried 

 pulp. This residue of total alkaloid was now qualitatively 

 tested and found to contain both strychnine ami brucine, 

 which were separated by the process that we have de- 

 li in a former paper Pharm. Jmirn., [3], xiv, 290), 

 which is based upon the difference in the solubility of 

 strychnine and brucine ferrocyauides. About 0*2 gram of 

 the total alkaloid was dissolved in about 10 c.c. of a five 

 per cent (by volume) solution of sulphuric acid, the liquid 

 was diluted to about 175 c.c. with water, and then made 

 up to the volume of 200 c.c. with a five per cent solution 

 of potassium ferrocyauide. After constant stirring aud 

 agitation during four hours the precipitate was filtered 

 off and washed with dilute sulphuric acid (p'23 per cent) 

 until the washings were free from bitterness. The moist 

 precipitate was then decomposed by the addition of am- 

 monia hydrate, and the strychnine extracted from the 

 liquid by successive portions of chloroform. The following 

 table exhibits the results of the chemical examination of 

 the pulp. 



f A specimen of loganin is now in the Muser.ni of tie 

 Pharmaceutical Society. 



chemical Analysis of the Inspissated i'ulp of the Fruit of 

 Stryphnps Nuxryomica* 



100 parts contain: — 



Water 22t) parts 



Strychnine 14 „ 



Brucine... .. ... ... ... l'O 



Loganin ... ... ... 5'0 (nearly) 



Ash 5-0 „ 



(K 2 COj, N"a 2 C0 3 , CaC0 3 , Li 2 C0 3 , etc.) 



Fixed Oil, Mucilage, Gum, etc. 650 „ 



It will be observed that the proportion of strychnine 

 to brucine in the pulp is much higher than iu the seeds, 

 the strychnine constituting more than one-half of the 

 total alkaloid. 



The Seeds. — The largest fruit examined contained fourteen 

 seeds, of which seven were abortive. Another large fruit 

 contained ten seeds, of which one was abortive. The num- 

 ber of seeds was counted in a great many specimens of 

 fruit. 



Five hundred and ninety-three fruits were gathered and 

 examined. There were of — 



No. 1, 108 which contained 434 normal seeds and 52 

 abortive seeds. 



No. 2, 245 which contained 468 normal seeds and 52 

 abortive seeds. 



No. 3, 165 which contained 190 normal seeds and 7 

 abortive seeds. 



No. 4, 75 which contained 77 normal seeds and 21 

 abortive seeds. 



The number of seeds found iu the typical fruits was as 

 follows: — 



No. 1 contained from 2 to 9 seeds, usual number 4. 



No. 2 generally contained 2 seeds, sometimes 3 and 4, 

 with abortive ones. 



No. 3 generally contained 1 large seed, rarely 2. 



No. 4 generally contained 1 large and 1 small seed. 

 When 2 seeds occur both are generally abortive, or some- 

 times the smaller seeds alone is normal. The large and 

 small seeds occur in the same fruit. Thus, a specimen' of — 



No. 1 contained 3 large seeds, 1 small seed, with 4 

 abortive seeds. 



No. 2 contained 2 large and 2 small seeds, none abortive. 



No. 3 contained 2 large and 2 small seeds, noue abortive. 



No. 4 contained 1 large and 1 small seed, none abortive. 



The seeds had a silky exterior and were found to be 

 coated with fine hairs. These hairs, which consist of elong- 

 ated cells of the testa, exhibit an extremely interesting 

 structure when examined microscopically. Their structure 

 has often been described, but we are not aware that 

 they have ever been sketched. The woodcut is from a 

 drawing by Dr. Ondaatje. The large seeds weighed from 

 2 to 2"5 grains, the smaller seeds from 1 to 1*5 grams. 

 The diameter of the seeds ranged from 13'5 to 22 mm., 

 the circumference from 44 to 66 mm., the thickness 

 from 3 to 5 mm. The edges were usually rounded (Cf. 

 aud appended table). A chemical analysis of the seeds 

 was now made. They were dried at 100° C, powdered, 

 and the total alkaloid estimated by the process which 

 we have previously described. In the first place average 

 specimens of the seeds contained in the typical fruits 

 were analysed (see appended table.) 



In considering the results obtained, several factors have 

 to be taken into account. It has already been seen that 

 the biggest fruits do not contain the largest seeds ; thus 

 the average seeds of both No. 1 and 2 fruits are about the 

 same size, but the number of seeds contained in these two 

 fruits is not. the same. No. 1 fruit commonly contains 

 four seeds, but No. 2 fruit usually contains only two seeds. 

 It will be seen from the analyses that other things being 

 equal the fewer the number of seeds in the fruit the more 

 alkaloid the seeds contain. Thus the average seed from 

 No. 1 and 2 fruits is about the same size, but No. 2 fruit 

 only contains half as many seeds, aud it is found that 

 the seeds of the latter fruit contain more alkaloid than 

 those of the former. Fruit No. 3 contains seeds, an aver- 

 age specimen of which is slightly smaller than the seeds 

 from fruit No. 2; but the former fruit usually contains 

 only half as many seeds as the latter, in fact, commonly 

 only one seed is present. It is seen that the seeds from 

 fruit No. 3 contain more alkaloid than the seeds from 

 fruit No. 2. Finally, the average seed from fruit No. 4 

 is decidedly smaller than the seeds from any of the pr,.. 



