This constitutes an unjust appraisal of a potent drug with a 
possible future in treating rheumatism and arthritis. 
2. Brunfelsia Mire Monachino 
In 1921, H.H. Rusby of Columbia University took part in the 
Mulford Biological Expedition to the Amazon. During this trip 
he collected a plant called miré in the Yungas region of Bolivia. 
The plant was sterile at the time of collection but Rusby noted 
its resemblance to manacad (Brunfelsia uniflora). He reported 
that the Indians of the region employed miré to expel cutaneous 
parasites and to ‘‘paralyze the voluntary muscles as in an 
alcoholic intoxication’’. They boiled the plant to extract the 
drug, a process which apparently does not injure the active 
constituents. Miré produced a profuse sweating capable of 
destroying all cutaneous parasites but with no disturbance of 
the senses or intellect (Rusby, 1924). 
Concurrently with Rusby’s initial report, T. S. Githens pub- 
lished his pharmacological studies on the effects of mire. He 
confirmed the drug’s paralyzing effect on the voluntary mus- 
cles through an action on the spinal chord. He also observed 
stimulation of the peripheral motor-apparatus indicated by 
muscular twitching. Both the sweat and salivary glands were 
stimulated in rabbits and frogs (Githens, 1924). 
Two years later, Githens (1926) published an article on the 
chemistry of miré. In analyzing extracts of the root and stem, 
he isolated three principles: 
1. A strongly fluorescent body soluble in alcohol, ether and 
chloroform but insoluble in water. In mice, this portion caused 
paralysis, but without twitching of the muscles. 
2. An alkaloid soluble in alcohol but precipitated from al- 
coholic solution by ether. He found 0.3% crude alkaloid which 
was pale yellow in freshly prepared solutions but soon became 
a reddish wine color on standing. This fraction was very active 
physiologically. 
3. A second alkaloid was present which was soluble in al- 
cohol but not precipitated by the addition of ether. This body 
corresponded to 0.5% of the root and gave a permanently pale 
car 
