THE JOURNAL OF PHARMACOLOGY. 67 



also been given. A third substance, sarsasaponin, has been, obtained by 

 Schulz. 



These three compounds are supposed to belong to a group of saponin 

 substances, and differ in physical properties and pharmacological powers. 

 Parillin is a crystalline substance insoluble in cold water. It is soluble in 

 absolute alcohol, but in alcohol diluted with water it becomes less soluble 

 as the amount of! water is increased. Sarasasaponin is also a crystalline 

 substance, but it is soluble in water. It dissolves only to a slight extent in 

 absolute alcohol. In diluted alcohol it becomes more soluble as the amount 

 of water is increased. Smilacin is soluble in water. As prepared by Merck 

 for commerce, it is amorphous, but it is capable of crystallization. All three 

 substances are glucosids, and when boiled with dilute acid yield glucose 

 .and a new compound, which, in the ease of parillin, is called parigenin. 

 The other two substances yield sarsasapogenin. Schulz giv< s a long account 

 of the reactions yielded by parillin and sarsasaponin, which are, however, 

 only of chemical interest. 



The pharmacological effects of parillin, smilacin and sarsasaponin re- 

 semble generally those produced by the active principles of quillaja bark 

 (quillagic acid and sapotoxin), but they are less toxic. Of the three, parillin 

 is the least powerful, sarsasaponin the most so. When taken by the mouth 

 they cause salivation, nausea, irritation of the throat, vomiting and 

 diarrhea. Injected under the skin, they cause abscess; introduced into the 

 blood, they tend to destroy the red corpuscles, and cause death after the 

 lapse of several hours. They are not absorbed from the healthy stomach, 

 nor when injected snbcutaneouslv. They are excreted when intravenously 

 injected by the intestinal mucous membrane, stomach and kidneys; and 

 Schulz says by the salivary glands also, but he gives no proof of this as- 

 sertion. Like other saponin substances, they powerfully influence muscle 

 tissue when directly applied to it, causing contraction, rigidity and loss 

 of contractility. The motor nerve and endings seem to be killed earlier 

 than the muscle. When circulated through the isolated heart of a frog, 

 they cause contraction of the muscle tissue, and limit the heart movements. 

 They therefore decrease the volume of fluid expelled by each cardiac con- 

 traction, an effect which is the reverse of that produced by digitalis. Even- 

 tually the heart's movements cease, but if fluid which contains no poison 

 be subsequently circulated through the heart, it recovers. If added to 

 blood outside the body, they have a powerful influence, causing solution of 

 the red corpuscles. They are in this respect more active than many more 

 toxic saponin-like substances, and it is worthy of remark that, though 

 parillin is distinctly the weakest in its general toxic effects and in its power 

 of influencing the tissues, while sarsasaponin is the strongest, yet in its 

 action on the blood parillin is almost as powerful as sarsasaponin. and dis- 



