200 OKGANIC BASES. 



inunlorer, tlioy .are hin^lily .salutary in the prescriptions of the physician, 

 M'ho employs them with j^reat success in the treatment of severe and 

 otherwise unyielding diseases. Peruvian bark owes its efficacy to the 

 alkaloid quinine wh'wh it contains together with cinchoni)teimd chinidine 

 in varying- proi)()rti<)ns. Fortnerly, before these facts were known, there 

 was no standand by which the value of dilferent specimens of Peru- 

 vian bark conld be correctly judgtMl. Sometimes a. certain kind of bark, 

 whose dose had been fixed by experience, accpiired a nuu;h greater value 

 than others whoso eflicacy far surpassed it. ISTow the value depends ou 

 the amount of bases contnined in the bark and not on tlie color, shajie, 

 or other external signs. Not the smallest piece of the baik is now al- 

 lowed to be lost on gathering it, because processes are known by which 

 even the smallest quantity of cpiinine contained in it can be obtained. 



The same is true of different kinds of opium. Their medicinal value 

 depends on the amount of alkaloids they contain. These are morpliine^ 

 codeine, and uarcotine, three beautiful crystallizable bodies, tlie latter of 

 which is distini'uished by the peculiar property of furnishing another 

 base, trimetln/hnnine, when mixed with soda-lime and subjected to dry dis- 

 tillation. ( Chemists have proved the presence of trimethyhunine in the 

 })ick!e of herrings. It is the cause of their jieculiar odor. Urine con- 

 tains it also in small (juantities, hence its snu'll of herrings when inu(!h 

 of it is evaiJorated down. The hrlhtdonna aiul the dninra strammonimn 

 contain the allcaloid atropine, whose tc^rribly poisonous i)ro])erties are 

 generally known, but whi(;h plays a very important part in treating 

 diseases of the eye. Applied to the eye in a dilute state, or rubbed into 

 the skiu near the eye, it powerfully dilates the pu))il and greatly facili- 

 tates certain operations on that organ. Prom all parts of the hendock, 

 a colorless, triins[)arent oil of penetrating odor can be obtained, which 

 is known un<ler the name oi conilne, and is one of the most i)oisonoiis 

 alkaloids. ]^]ither this or cic^t^me contained iu the water-hemlock was 

 the cause of the tragical death of Socrates, In the St. Ignatius bean 

 and the nux vomica, atryehnine is found along with brueine; it forms a 

 beautiful, crystallizable alkaloid, distinguished by its extremely bitter 

 taste and by its producing tetanic spasms when injected into the blood. 



To this class of organic bases belong also those poisons wliich savages 

 use for steeping the i)oints of their arrows. There are undoubtedly 

 several such poisons. It seems that the one used by the savages of In- 

 dia and Afri(!a is essentially difterent from that used by the natives in 

 the nortlu;rn i)art of South America. The former, called antia, imme- 

 diately stops the beating of the heart, while the latter, called curare, 

 iirst palsies the general muscular action and then stoi)s the heart. Curare 

 is the better known of the two; it was first brought to Europe by Sir 

 Walter Paleigh in 1505. According to Humboldt, the preparation of this 

 poison resembles our vintage feast. The savages collect poisonous vines 

 in the forest, while the women prepare an intoxicating fermented liquor, 

 of which they all i)artake. When all are intoxicated and lie in deep 

 sleep, the master of the art prepares the poison by extracting the juice 



