BY T. L. BANCROFT, M.B. 1m) 
If a limb of a frog be protected by ligature of its artery from 
poisoned blood, stimuli to poisoned parts cause reflex movements 
in the protected limb for a short time after they have ceased in 
poisoned parts, showing that the motor nerves are impaired first 
and directly afterwards the reflex function is paralysed. 
The motor nerve conductivity to electric stimuli is present for a 
short time after the frog becomes flaccid. Muscle, sensory nerves, 
the heart and other viscera do not seem to be primarily affected. 
Frogs sometimes recover after poisoning with this substance. 
ON THE PHYSIOLOGICAL ACTION OF 
DAPHNANDRA REPANDULA ; 
BY 
T. L. BANCROFT, M.B., Edin., 
(Read on 4th March, 1887). 
In October, 1885, while residing at the Johnstone River, I was 
fortunate enough to discover the poisonous property of the genus 
Daphnandra, trees of the order Monimiacez. A short paper was 
then written and kindly communicated to the Royal Society of 
New South Wales by Professor Anderson Stuart. 
All parts of Daphnandra repandula /: v. JZ, have a peculiar 
transient bitter taste. The bark is rich in alkaloids; there are 
three at least. When the bark is first removed from the tree, it 
has a yellow coloured inner surface, which on exposure to the air 
becomes metallic black, but this disappears again as it dries. 
Solutions of this plant are yellow in colour, are not fluorescent, 
and keep free from bacteria or other fungi and infusoria. fA 
watery solution of the bark gives precipitates with alkalies and 
their carbonates, mercuric, auric, and platinic chlorides, tannic 
and picric acids, perchloride of iron changes the colour from 
yellow to brown. An extract made in the following manner was 
used in this investigation. (It is, however, a wasteful way of 
preparing the active principle, for by it the bark only yields four 
per cent. of extract. Six per cent. of alkaloids can be obtained 
from the bark by any of the ordinary processes). Pulverise the 
bark, exhaust twice with alcohol, each time macerating a week, 
evaporate off the alcohol, treat the extract with water, filter and 
evaporate over a water-bath. 
