Dk. Mitchell on the Physiological Actions of Spartine and Scoparine. 179 



tained that six drops produced the death of a rabbit in a few minutes. 

 Deep stupor, with palsy of the voluntary muscles, followed rapidly by 

 palsy of the diaphragm, &c., terminated in death from asphyxia. Slight 

 couvulsive movements took place, and the pupil appeared to be con- 

 tracted. No internal lesion was detected on examining the cadaver. 

 No vomiting, or purging, or voiding of urine preceded death. Efforts 

 were made to restore life to the animal, and artificial respiration was 

 persevered in for a considerable time, without any success. Sometimes a 

 longer period was required to produce death, and, in one case, it occurred 

 three hours after the drug had been given. 



It thus appears, in general terms, that spartine is a pretty powerful 

 narcotic poison, producing death in doses which are small. The exis- 

 tence of a body possessing these properties in broom was what I had 

 never anticipated. Yet on inquiry I find that every sheep farmer in the 

 Highlands is familiar with the fact. And country people generally con- 

 sider the plant to possess intoxicating virtues, as evidenced by its use in 

 Germany and elsewhere in the preparation of beer, to which it is sup- 

 posed to impart its heady influence. During snow storms, when the 

 sheep are compelled to feed almost entirely on the tops of broom, it is a 

 common thing to see them reel and give evidence of intoxication. The 

 facts would of course have remained unaltered, whither such bad previ- 

 ously been observed or not, but still it is satisfactory as in confirmation.* 



Analogies to Coneine and Nicotine. — There are two other plants 

 which yield volatile natural alkaloids, and to the properties of these my 

 attention was naturally directed. I refer to coneine and nicotine, whose 

 general chemical and physical characters present a very close similarity 

 to those of spartine. In their ultimate composition, too, while there in 

 certainly not a sufficient analogy to make us predict in all three the same 

 physiological actions, yet there does exist an analogy close enough to 

 arrest attention. There is at all events a marked absence of dissimilarity. 

 I represent, in a tabular form, the ultimate composition of these three 

 bodies. 



Coneine, as determined by Ortigosa, Cio Hi^ N. 



Nicotine, as determined by Barral, Cog Hjc N. 



Spartine, as determined by Stenhouse, CisHig N. 



Now these three bodies may be said to possess the same physiological 

 actions, differing only in the degree of intensity, the first being the most 



* Dr. Paris has ingeniously referred the diuretic action of digitalis to its sedntivc 

 influence. Hud he known that broom possessed a narcotic principle also, he would 

 have referred its diuretic action also to the same cause. But is it not more pro- 

 bable tiiat the diuretic property of digitalis depends upon one principle, and the 

 sedative upon another, wliicli are separable? Dr. Paris reasons thus: — As the 

 energy of absorption is generally in the inverse ratio of that of the circulation, it is 

 presumable tliat all means which diminish arterial action must indirectly prove 

 diuretic, liy exciting the function of absorption. 



