ACTIONS AND USES 557 



and in diluted acids. In nitric acid it dissolves, yielding a 

 yellow solution, and, warmed with hydrochloric acid, pro- 

 duces a blood-red colour. Commercial specimens are said 

 to consist of veratrine and two other alkaloids, cevadine 

 and cevadilline, resembling jervine, an alkaloid of green 

 hellebore. 



ACTIONS AND USES. Veratrine is a topical irritant and 

 subsequent paralysant, especially of the heart and other 

 muscles, and is sometimes used to relieve rheumatic and 

 neuralgic pains, and as a parasiticide and vermin-killer. 



GENERAL ACTIONS. Rubbed into the skin or placed upon 

 a mucous surface, it causes irritation, with a peculiar, 

 prickling, warm sensation, and then numbness, similar to 

 that produced by aconite, and depending upon irritation, 

 followed by paralysis of sensory nerve-endings. When 

 inhaled it induces violent sneezing ; when swallowed in 

 considerable doses it causes gastro-enteritis, shown by 

 nausea, vomiting, and purging, followed by collapse. It 

 is a nervo-muscular poison, first exciting afterwards 

 depressing, and paralysing the peripheral terminations of 

 motor and sensory nerves. It acts directly on voluntary 

 muscle fibres and produces prolonged muscular contraction, 

 followed by paralysis. Minimum doses increase muscular 

 power. Its effect on the heart muscle is similar to that 

 of aconitine. Under the influence of large doses the heart's 

 action becomes slower and weaker, then irregular and 

 intermittent, and finally arrested. 



TOXIC EFFECTS. Magendie found that one grain of vera- 

 trine acetate killed a dog in a few seconds when injected 

 into the jugular vein, and in nine minutes when injected 

 into the peritoneum. One or two grains swallowed by 

 dogs caused great uneasiness, nausea, vomiting, violent 

 purging, slowness of respiration, slowness and irregularity 

 of circulation, extreme prostration of strength, spasmodic 

 twitching, and subsequently paralysis of the voluntary 

 muscles, especially those of the extremities, and death 

 from respiratory arrest, usually amid convulsions. Horses 

 swallowing 15 to 45 grains, or when given grs. vj. hypo- 

 dermically, are salivated, sweat profusely, have trembling 

 of external muscles, and violent contractions of the gastro- 



