soluble in ether sepeerine. Since Maclagan’s classic study, 
the name bebeerine, however, has been variously defined 
resulting in much confusion (7). Since he isolated amor- 
phous fractions rather than crystalline compounds, most 
are in favor of abandoning his nomenclature and using 
coined names referring only to actual isolated compounds. 
Hence, though Maclagan’s bebeerine may be, in fact, the 
same or related to rodiasine, the term rodiasine is now 
preferred. Maclagan was encouraged to study the chem- 
istry of Ocotea Rodie: not because of any known curariz- 
ing effect but because the wood was known to be highly 
resistant to insects, marine borers and fungal decay (5,8). 
Today we know that curine, the / form of ‘‘bebeerine,”’ 
in high concentration ‘‘. . . causes paralysis of the stri- 
ated muscles and paralysis of the nerve end plates”’ (6). 
Though the chemical constituents of Ocotea venenosa and 
Ocotea Rodie: appear to be similar, the initial chemical 
investigations were induced for two different reasons. 
Several plants of the Lauraceae with an alkaloid related 
to ‘“‘bebeerine’’ were reported in 1890 by Greshoff, a 
pioneer in phytochemistry. Greshoff found in several 
genera an alkaloid which he called ‘‘lauro-tetanine.’” He 
stated that (transl.), ‘‘according to the important charac- 
teristic, . . . causing tetanus in several species of animals, 
I propose to give this body which can be crystallized and 
characterized by good reactions the name lauro-tetanine’’ 
(3). He furthermore recognized the similarity of lauro- 
tetanine and bebeerine and suggested that (transl.) ‘‘a 
detailed quantitative research of bebeerine seems one of 
the most urgent desiderata of the alkaloid studies’’ (8). 
Other alkaloids with curarizing effects have been iso- 
lated from the lauraceous tree Cryptocarya Bowier 
(Hooker) Druce of Australia (2). The poisonous nature 
of this plant was discovered, quite by accident, by 'T. L. 
Bancroft in 1886. He related his experience: (1) 
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