50 | TURNBULL ON RANUNCULACES. 
dant secretion of mucous ; its taste is at first bitter, and afterwards 
acrid ; and it acts upon animals inthe same manner, but more ener- 
getically than the seeds from which it is prepared. | ‘f 
_When heated it melts, and somewhat resembles wax in appear- 
ance ; and on cooling, it becomes brittle like resin. It is very 
sparingly soluble in water, but yet in sufficient quantity to commu- 
nicate a bitter taste to the fluid. In alcohol and ether it dissolves 
readily, and these solutions have the property of rendering syrup 
of violets green, and of restoring the blue colour of litmus, when 
reddened by the addition of a portion of acid. It combines readily 
with acids, and forms neutral salts, which are possessed of much 
bitterness and acridity, and it may be precipitated from solutions 
of these in the form of a jelly, by the addition of an alkali. 
Internal Administration of Delphinia and tts Salts. 
Pore Delphinia has little effect upon the mucous membranes of 
the stomach and bowels. It may be administered in some cases to 
the extent of three or four grains a day, in doses of half a grain 
each, without exciting vomiting ; in this quantity, however, it 
sometimes operates upon the bowels, but causes very little irrita- 
tion. In most instances it acts as a diuretic, and occasions a con- 
siderable flow of pale urine. When taken to the extent of a few 
grains, it gives rise to sensations of heat and tingling in various 
parts of the body, similar to those which are produced by rubbing 
it upon the skin, and its other effects are very nearly the same as 
those of the salts of Veratria. The salts of Delphinia act much in 
the same manner, but there is nothing to give them a preference to 
the alcaloid itself: both have been used in the same diseases as the. 
. preparations of Veratria, and appear to exercise a similar action. ~ 
External Application of Delphinia. 
Dz.rurntA, when in a state of purity, is entirely soluble in al- 
cohol and ether; but neither of these circumstances can be relied 
upon as a test of the efficacy of the medicine ; for, like Veratria, it 
may have the appearance of being almost chemically pure, and yet 
be possessed of little activity in the removal of the affection, for 
which we may wish to apply it. The test already laid down, with 
regard to Veratria, is the one which should in this instance be re- 
sorted to; namely, that unless a solution of Delphinia in alcohol, in 
the proportion of four grains toa drachm, occasion a distinct sensa- 
tion of heat and prickling, when rubbed for three or four minutes 
upon the forehead, the specimen ought not to be used, for if this be 
not attended to, no beneficial effect will arise from its application. 
There are a few points in which Delphinia differs from Veratria, 
in its action upon the skin, which require to be shortly noticed. | 
Veratria, when rubbed upon the cuticle, produces a strong sensa- 
tion of tingling, or rather a feeling similar to that produced by re- 
