372 RUTHERFORD'S RESEARCHES. [BOOK n. 



similar effect, though to a less extent, was produced by colocynth, 

 jalap, aloes, rhubarb, senna, and sulphate of magnesia the potency 

 of these agents as stimulants of the liver being in the order 

 mentioned. He found, moreover, that castor oil had little effect 

 and that calomel, while it seldom recalled the biliary secretion after 

 it had ceased, nevertheless somewhat augmented it when taking 

 place slowly. Rohrig's statement with regard to calomel does not 

 differ much from that made by Hughes Burnett's committee, but 

 nevertheless he did find that certain purgative agents, when given to 

 fasting animals with temporary biliary fistulas increased the biliary 

 secretion, while the committee found that in non-fasting animals 

 with permanent biliary fistulas purgative action, induced by podo- 

 phyllin, calomel, &c., diminished the amount of bile secreted in the 

 twenty-four hours 1 ." 



Rutherford's Subsequently 1 Professor Rutherford resumed the in- 

 researches. vestigation of this subject and in 1879 published the 

 elaborate memoir already referred to. In his researches, like Rohrig, 

 he determined the rate of flow of the bile from temporary fistulse in 

 fasting curarised dogs. It is impossible to give here the whole of the 

 (fifty-four) conclusions at which Professor Rutherford arrived, but the 

 following brief summary comprises his most interesting results : drugs 

 appear undoubtedly to exist which may be called hepatic stimulants, 

 in so far that they increase the flow of bile in the unit of time, and of 

 these some exert a powerful and some only a feeble stimulant action. 

 Of these drugs, some are not only cholagogue but exert a more or less 

 powerful stimulant action on the intestinal glands, while others have 

 no action on the latter. The following well-known drugs are placed 

 by Rutherford amongst the powerful hepatic stimulants : 



Sodium phosphate (i. s.). 

 Mercuric chloride. 

 Ipecacuanha. 

 Colchicurn (i. s.). 

 Jalap (i. s.). 

 Aloes. 



Colocynth (i. s.). 

 Sodium benzoate. 

 Sodium salicylate. 



The drugs in the above list to which the letters (i. s.) are 

 appended, are powerful intestinal as well as hepatic stimulants. 

 Ipecacuanha as well as sodium benzoate and salicylate are examples 

 of hepatic stimulants almost without action on the intestinal glands. 



The following well-known drugs are hepatic stimulants, though 

 their action is much feebler than those first referred to : 



Rhubarb. 



Acid, nitro-hydrochl. dil. 



1 Rutherford, op. cit. p. 136. 



