«4 



7 HE ALUMNI JOURNAL. 



Scopolamin. — Prof. E- Schmitt has assigned 

 the formula of C 1T H 31 N0 4 to this alkaloid, 

 which is found in the root of the Scopolia Atro- 

 pioides, and in the leaves of the Duboisia myro- 

 poides,in the seed of the Hyoscyamus Niger and 

 Datura Stramonium, and the root of the Atropa 

 Belladonna. This author has shown that 

 Merck's Hyoscynium hydrobromicum, Laden- 

 burg, consists essentially of Scopolamin. This 

 author was unable to find the alkaloid Hyoscin 

 C 17 H 23 N0 3 the isomer of Atropine and Hyos- 

 cyamine. Merck's Hyoscinum hydroiodicum 

 verum, Ci~H 23 N0 3 Hl is according to Schmitt 

 Scopolamin Hydriodide Ci T H 21 N0 4 HI. 



V. C. 



Proteid Poisons — Proteid poisons have been 

 obtained from both the vegetable and animal 

 kingdoms. Thus, among those obtained from 

 plants one may mention the proteids obtained 

 from jequirity seeds, the proteid associated with 

 or identical with the ferment papain of the 

 papaw plant, and lupino-toxin from the yellow 

 lupin. 



The most important of the animal proteid 

 poisons are snake poisons, the proteids in the 

 serum of the conger eel and other fish, and pro- 

 teid poisons found in certain spiders. Poison- 

 ous proteids are also formed during ordinary 

 digestive processes in the alimentary canal of 

 every one of us from the proteids taken in as 

 food. The peptones and proteoses or albumen- 

 oses (intermediate products in the process of 

 hydration of which the terminal product is pep- 

 tone) are fairly powerful poisons. 0.3 Gramme 

 per kilogramme of body weight injected into 

 the blood will kill a dog, producing a loss of 

 coagulability of the blood, a fall of blood pres- 

 sure, a stoppage of secretions, and ultimately 

 death by cessation of respiratory activity. Nor- 

 mally animals are protected from this poison 

 by the lining membrane of the alimentary 

 canal, so that no proteose or peptone is found 

 in blood or lymph even during the most active 

 periods of digestion. The cells of this mem- 

 brane possess many remarkable properties, but 

 one of the most important is this power of re- 

 generating albumen from peptone. 



Allied to the albumoses of ordinary gastric 

 activity are the similar products produced by 

 bacteria. The way in which bacteria produces 

 disease has long been a matter of dispute, but 

 the problem appears to be approaching solution. 

 Pathologists have at last turned their attention 

 to the chemical side of the question, and shown 

 that whereas in some cases the poisons pro- 

 duced by the growth of micro-organisms are 



alkaloidal in nature, in by far the greater num- 

 ber the toxic product is a proteid. The one 

 which is best known, or at least attracted most 

 attention, is the toxalbumose contained in 

 Koch's tuberculin. 



The foregoing list is far from complete, but 

 one cannot conclude it without mentioning an- 

 other class of proteid poisons. These are the 

 nucleo-albumens obtainable by suitable methods 

 from most of the cellular organs of the body. 

 Originally discovered by Woolridge, they were 

 named by him tissue-fibrinogens, because they 

 possess the remarkable power of producing 

 coagulation of the blood within the blood-vessels 

 of a living animal. A very small dose will kill 

 a rabbit or a dog, and death is as a rule pro- 

 duced by extensive clotting within the vessels^ 

 especially in the veins. Under certain condi- 

 tions, however, especially in the dog they pro- 

 duce the opposite result, namely, a loss of 

 coagulability similar to that produced by pep- 

 tone. Woolridge termed this the "negative 

 phase of coagulation." 



A practical outcome of all this work is the 

 discovery of alexines or protective proteids. 

 These appear to belong to the nucelo-albumen 

 class also. In smaller doses they confer im- 

 munity on animals to larger doses of similar 

 poisons, and thus the long hidden secret of the 

 modus operandi of vaccination and other forms 

 of protective inoculation is at last beginning to 

 be unravelled — Pharm. Jour. Trans., 1894, 376. 

 Extracted from an article on "snake poison," 

 by W. D. Halliburton, in Science Progress, 

 Sept., 1894. 



New Remedies. 



Antitetraizin. — This is a chinin derivative re- 

 commended by Zambeletti (Milan) in the treat- 

 ment of rheumatic and neuralgic pains, influ- 

 enza, etc. The dose is 0.2-0.25 Gm. 



Cadmium Salicylate. — This is prepared by re- 

 acting between molecular quantities of salicylic 

 acid and cadmium carbonate in the presence of 

 water. The salt is soluble in 24 parts of boiling 

 and 68 parts of cold water. It is likewise solu- 

 ble in alcohol, ether and glycerin. 



Calcium Borate is obtained by mixing solu- 

 tions of borax and calcium chloride. This is 

 employed as an antiseptic wash ; it is likewise 

 administered internally in doses of o 3-0.4 Gm. 

 in treatment of infantile diarrhoea. 



Chloroiodolipol. — A chlorine substitution 

 product of phenol, creosote and guaiacol, recom- 

 mended by Zambeletti for inhalation in treat- 

 ment of diseases of the air passages. 



