136 PROCEEDINGS OF SECTION B. — SUB-SECTION, PHARMACY. 



ergotinine in many of its chemical properties, but differing from it in 

 solubility, and in the fact that it could not be crystallized as a free 

 base. They Avere able to obtain it pure, however, in the form of its 

 salts, many of which crystallize readily. In this respect, again, it 

 differs from ergotinine, the salts of which have resisted all attempts to 

 crystallize them, though the base itself crystallizes well. A physio- 

 logical examination of the pure salts of the new alkaloid showed that 

 it not only possessed the characteristic type of action which afforded 

 the clue to its isolation, but produced typical gangrene of the cock's 

 comb and the other toxic actions ascribed by Robert to " sphacelinic 

 acid," and by Jacob] to " sphacelotoxin." To this active amorphous 

 alkaloid, with crystalline salts, the name " ergotoxine " was given by 

 Barger and Carr. 



By one of the not infrequent coincidences of scientific work, 

 F. Kraft, who had also for some years been working at the chemistry 

 of ergot, arrived almost simultaneously at the conclusion that ergot, 

 in addition to Tanret's crystalline ergotinine, contained a second 

 amorphous alkaloid. The results of his investigation, which also threw 

 much light on the chemistry of some of the inactive constituents of the 

 drug, were published only one month after Barger and Carr's preliminary 

 note, which had escaped his notice. His separation of the two 

 alkaloids was based on the different solubilities of their sulphates. 

 Since he obtained these only in an amorphous form, there was no guarantee 

 that the separation was complete, and he made no analyses. At the 

 same time, on the basis of observations as to the methods by which 

 each alkaloid could be converted into the other, he put forward the 

 suggestion that the amorphous alkaloid was a hydrate of the crystalline 

 ergotinine, and, being unaware that it had been named just previously 

 by Barger and Carr, provisionally named it " hydro-ergotinine.'* 

 Having crystalline salts of their alkaloid fit for analysis, Barger and 

 Carr were then able to confirm Kraft's suggestion as to the relation 

 between the alkaloids, and Kraft himelf subsequently obtained 

 crystalline salts by their method, and further confirmed the identity 

 of his alkaloid with theirs and its relation to ergotinine. The 

 chemistry of the ergot alkaloids being thus placed on a satisfactory 

 footing by the concurrent though completely independent work of two 

 laboratories, it became of importance to examine the relation of these 

 alkaloids to previously described " active principles." As the result 

 of a lengthy investigation, Barger and Dale came to the conclusion 

 that the " amorphous ergotinine " of Tanret consisted largely of the 

 alkaloid now known as " ergotoxine " ; that the crystalline ergotinine 

 was, in reality, inert, and only appeared to possess activity on account 

 of the readiness with which, in watery acid solution, it became converted 

 into its intensely active hydrate " ergotoxine " ; that preparations such 

 as " sphacelinic acid," " chrysotoxin," " sphacelotoxin," owed all their 



