« 
434, 3 LEGUMINOS&, 
and, after cultivation and separation, were found to have 
none of the poisonous properties of jequirity. To dispose at 
once of this idea of the bacterial nature of jequirity poison, 
I may say that in my experiments, using a pure product, I have 
found no bacteria present in the local lesions, either in those — 
produced at the seat of injection or in those produced internally 
in the peritoneum or alimentary.canal. The sections were — 
stained by Gram’s method. 
We must look, therefore, to the proteid or soe present 3 
in the seed for the poison of jequirity; Warden and Waddell’s 
‘abrin” as described by them, did not possess very definite — 
. characteristics ; it was called a vegetable “albumin,” but evi- - 
dently did not belong to this class, as it was precipitated by 
acetic acid. In 1886, I separated and examined the proteids: - 
present in the seeds, and obtained the following results*—both 
of the proteids separated possessing poisonous properties. 
Nature of Jequirity Poison.—The seeds contain two proteids— 3 
@ globulin and an albumose. The globulin is soluble in 15 per 
cent. sodium chloride solution, and coagulates by heat be- — 
oe 
tween 75° and 80°C. Like other members of its class, it is ~ 
precipitated from solution by saturation with sodium chloride — 
and magnesium sulphate. It belongs to what I have described ; 
elsewhere as the vegetable paraglobulins.t The albumose is _ 
soluble in water, is not precipitated by boiling, but is thrown — 
down by nitric acid, the precipitate being soluble on- heating 3 
the solution and coming down again on subsequent cooling, - 
this being the characteristic reaction of the albumose class: 
This body also gives the “péptone” reaction, namely, a ag: 
coloration with copper sulphate and caustic potash. 
For the investigation of the physiological action of these two 
proteids, the mode of ‘Separation from the seed is important, 
because, as I shall discuss Subsequently, it is a question whe~ 
ther these proteids are of theniselves poisonous, or produce. — 
their toxic effects by having a non-proteid body, as it were, — 
Se teat ASA ee 
* Proc. Roy. Soc., vol. 42, p. 331. 
ee 1887. 
