The Parent Plant 17 



An early experimenter with [jlants and colchicine was Sir Charles 

 Darwin \\ ho appHed the drug to "insectivorous" and "sensitive" 

 plants. 1 he reactions in leal movements were tested, but no con- 

 clusive results were obtained lor colchicine, nicotine, or morphine. 

 This work was done about 1875 and is of historical interest only. No 

 motlern colchicine papers cite Darwin's study. 



Another report, tui touched lor sixty years, was obviously closer 

 to the central theme: Pernice in 1889 clearly described the action of 

 colchicine on mitosis. i" His figures (Fig. 1.4) showing arrested meta- 

 phase are remarkable even though their significance was not entirely 

 realized. Pernice conducted research far ahead of the knowledge at 

 hand in his day. 



Many references credit Maiden with the first observation on mitotic 

 effects of colchicine because he said the drug appeared to "excite 

 karyokinesis" '' in white blood cells. The fidl significance was not 

 realized at this date, but Dixon and Afalden-^ prepared an excellent 

 report on the eliects of colchicine on the blood picture. 



This relationship between colchicine and leukocytosis was re- 

 examined b) Lits,-" a student in the Pathology Laboratory, Uni- 

 versity of Brussels, Belgium, luider the direction of the late Pro- 

 fessor A. P. Dustin, Sr., in 1934. Since the mitotic effects induced by 

 colchicine were so similar to those previously reported by Dustin and 

 Gregoire^-' ■with sodium cacodylate, more than passing attention was 

 paid to the restdts by Lits. The situation was ideal for striking at 

 the basic biological issues since Professor Dustin had already devoted 

 much time to the study of the action of chemicals upon mitosis. i- 

 Colchicine was effective in much less concentration and the volimie of 

 arrested metaphases in a given treated tissue was an impressive sight. 



The Dustin school immediately established that colchicine acts 

 upon mitosis whether using animal or plant tissues. ^^ Their contribu- 

 tion was important and significant. With regard to polyploidy in 

 Allium root tips they did not grasp its significance even though the 

 preser\ed slides today show restitution nuclei that have multiples of 

 chromosome sets.^^ 



Independently, a penetrating analysis of colchicine acting upon 

 mitosis was made l^y Ludford-"^' -'*'' with tissue c ulture methods using 

 normal ami malignant cells in xnx'o and in xnlro. His restdts showed 

 that metaphases were arrested. Amoroso tnged tising colchicine. 



Attention was called tc^ the possibilities of colchicine as a tool for 

 cancer chemotherapy.'- Two c:)ther projects specifically mention the 

 use of colchicine as a means of attacking problems of cancer. One 

 was done by Amoroso in 1935 when colchicine was given to mice 

 bearing specific timiors." The other reported regression of a spindle- 



