VENOMS IN THE ANIMAL SERIES 319 
That this venom preserves its toxic properties for more than a 
year in the dry state was shown by Vulpian, and satisfactory 
studies of its composition and physiological action have been made 
by Fornara,! G. Calmels,? Phisalix and Bertrand, Schultz,* 
Préscher,> and 8S. Faust.® 
Toad-venom was prepared by Phisalix and Bertrand in the 
following manner: Holding the head of one of these batrachians 
under water, they expressed the contents of the parotid glands with 
the fingers or with a pair of forceps. They repeated the same 
operation with a second, and then with a third toad, until they had 
sufficiently impregnated the water, which serves to dissolve the 
venom. In this way they obtained an opalescent, acid liquid, which 
they filtered with a Chamberland candle under a pressure of from 
four to five atmospheres. There remained on the filter a yellowish 
substance, with a highly acid reaction and partly soluble in ether 
and chloroform, while there passed through the pores a clear, 
reddish, and slightly acid liquid, which on being evaporated left 
behind a greyish-white precipitate. This precipitate was separated 
by filtration, washed in water, and redissolved in absolute alcohol 
or chloroform. The albuminoid matters were thus separated, and 
the liquid, after being rendered limpid by filtration, was evaporated 
away. The substance obtained in this way represents one of the 
two active principles of the venom. It acts on the heart of the 
frog, and arrests it in systole. It assumes the appearance of a 
transparent resin, the composition of which roughly corresponds 
to the formula C™’H!O”. It is the bufotalin of Phisalix and 
Bertrand, and is probably identical with that obtained by 5. Faust, 
1 Journal de Thérapeutique, 1877, p. 929. 
2 Comptes rendus de Ÿ'Acadénvie des Sciences, February 25, 1884. 
3 Archives de Physiologie, 1893, p. 511. 
4 Archiv für mikroskopische Anatomie, Bd. ii., 1889, p. 57. 
5 Zur Kenntniss des Krotengiftes,” Hofm. Beiträge, Bd. i., 1901, p. 575. 
64 Ueber Bufonin und Bufotalin,” Leipzig, 1902; and Archiv fiir experimen- 
tale Pathologie und Pharmakologie, December, 1902. 
