Dr. Mitchell on the Physiological Actions of Spartine and Scopnriue. 175 



lar prisms of considerable size and great lustre. This salt contains 2 

 equivalents of water which it loses at 266° F. 



The double salt of mercury and spartine presents the form of the right 

 rhombic prism. The crystals formed are large and of great brilliancy. 

 The ultimate composition of the base itself, as found by analysis, gave, 

 as an average, in 0'2507 grammes of spartine of CO3 0-70.52, and of HO 

 0'251, and its formula has been fixed to be Cis H13 N. 



Between spartine and scoparine every one will have observed a wide 

 difference. The former is a body possessing veiy strongly the properties 

 of a base, readily entering into combinations, and in such cases presenting 

 us with regular and beautiful crystalline forms ; while scoparine, on the 

 other hand, is much more of a negative, and is found wanting in positive 

 characters. Tliey both exist as spartine and as scojjarine in the j)lant, no 

 violent chemical reagent having been employed in their extraction. The 

 one is already prepared in a concentrated decoction of the broom, and to 

 obtain the other nothing is needed but simple distillation, an alkali being 

 added to liberate it from its combination. 



The results of the chemical examination of this plant are therefore 

 highly satisfactory, and especially so when we compare them with those 

 obtained by Cadet de Gassicourt, and given by him in the Journal de 

 Pharmacie, (x. 448.) He tells us that broom tops are composed of " a 

 concrete volatile oil, wax, chlorophylle, a fatty matter, a sweet sub- 

 stance, a yellow coUouring matter, mucilage, tannin, albumen, and woody 

 fibre." There is a vagueness about this which shows to disadvantage 

 side by side with the precision of our knowledge respecting spartine and 

 scoparine. Unfortunately, the' chemical examination of the plants 

 employed in medicine are too frequently like those by Cadet, and much 

 too rarely like that the notice of which I now conclude. 



We have hitherto regarded the physiological action of broom upon 

 man and the lower animals to be that of a diuretic, occasionally pro- 

 ducing, when given in 'very large doses, vomiting and jjurging. Its 

 diuretic action, however, has always been looked upon as the most 

 prominent. Notwithstanding these views, it struck me as possible that 

 these two principles might have separate and independent jihysiological 

 actions, and to determine this point I began a series of investigations. 

 With scoparine, tlic gelatinous principle of broom, I commenced, and my 

 first experiments were, of course, made on the lower animals. 



Obs. I. Three young rabbits were placed under such circumstances as 

 that all the urine voided by them in twenty-four hours could be ascer- 

 tained with accuracy. They received as nearly as possible the same food, 

 both as regards quantity and quality, and being left in this condition 

 during two complete days, it was found that the daily amount excreted 

 by each was pretty nearly equal. Tiie same three rabbits were continued 

 under the same conditions during a second period of two days ; but on 

 this occasion I gave to two of them 3 grain doses of scoparine repeated 

 every eight hours. I found at the expiry of this period, that the two 



