APPENDIX. 109 
Chelidonium majus : all of these plants belong to the same family of 
Papaveracee. In connection with this subject we read in a recent 
number of the Therapeutic Gazette that Dr. Engel has lately made 
some experiments on cold-blooded animals (frogs) and warm-blooded 
animals (guinea-pigs, cats, ‘and rabbits), with the view of determin- 
ing the physiological properties of this new base protopine. The 
results obtained may be briefly summarised as follows:—(1) In 
small doses protopine exercises on the frog narcotic effects similar to 
those produced by other opium alkaloids. (2) In large doses it 
produces a paralysing action on the muscular substance, and on the 
terminal ramifications of the peripheral nerves. (3) With ‘eaall. 
or moderate doses reflex action is not BSTC: although this occurs 
when larger doses are given. (4) Protopine produces toxic effects 
in mammals, and these effects are comparable to those produced by 
camphor, death resulting from the paralysis of the respiratory centre. 
This last, conclusion is very interesting. It is singular that camphor, 
which has not the chemical constitution of the alkaloids, and belongs 
to an entirely different group of bodies, should have been found to 
produce the same toxic effects as are obtained with new base proto- 
pine. The knowledge of this fact will cause camphor to be pre- 
scribed with more care than formerly, and it will probably lead to 
more useful applications of it, and to its employment in a number of 
cases for which it is not yet used. Protopine has not yet been 
introduced into therapeutics, and from the above experiments it is 
evident we must know more about it before it can find its place in 
pharmacy, .: 
Tritopine—a new Opium Base. 
M. Kander (Archiv., ecxxviii., p. 419) reports the isolation of a 
new opium alkaloid, 7ritopine, which occurs in smaller qu rene than 
even protopine, and to which he assigns the formula C*?H**N?0’, 
Like morphine and laudanine it is soluble in soda solution, but 
is reprecipitated in an oily condition by excess of the reagent. Its 
melting point, 182° C., is, however, 16° higher than that of lauda- 
nine, although the resemblance is again apparent in its behaviour 
towards sulphuric acid. Tritopine crystallizes without water of 
crystallization in characteristic transparent needle-like plates, 
and appears to be a di-acid base. (Pharm, Journ, [3], 
xxi., 247.) 
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