THE ^AI'OM.y a ROUP 



227 



differences exist between tlieni. All cause hemolysis, some in .Illa- 

 tion as great as 1 :100,000. Some produce hemoglobinuria when in- 

 iected intravenously, others do not. All paralyze the heart, but the 

 injuries to the central nervous system are the chief cause of death, 

 ^larked local changes are produced at the site of injection, but the 

 leucocytes are apparently not injured, although sterile suppuration 

 is produced. There is a period of latency after intravenous injection 

 of small doses— twenty-four hours or more— before the appearance 



of symptoms. 



Sapotoxin is one of the most actively toxic and hemolytic products 



of quiUaja. . -, ^ ^ ^ \ 



Cyclamix is also a member of this group (derived from Cyclamen), 

 and is said to be the most active of all as a hemolytic agent (Tufa- 



now). , ^ 1 • J 



SoLANix '^ is obtained from all parts of the potato plant, combined 

 with malic acid; it is found particularly in young sprouts, but not 

 in any considerable amounts in normal potatoes.^^ Its formula is 

 unknown but as it splits up into an alkaloid (solanidin) and sugar 

 it is called a glyco-alkaloid. In its action it resembles the saponins, 

 being a powerful protoplasmic poison, killing bacteria, and hemolyz- 

 ing blood in very great dilutions. 



A great number of hemolytic poisons are obtained from poisonous 

 mushrooms. Best known of these is : 



Helvellic Acid, from HelveUa esculenta, which has the empiric 

 formula Ci,H„oO,." Intravenously injected it produces hemoglobin- 

 uria and icterus, with hemoglobin infarcts in the kidneys (Bos- 



troem).'^* , 



Phallix, or Amanita hemolysin, described by Robert as a toxal- 

 bumin has been found by Abel and Ford to be a glucoside, and thus 

 belongs to the saponin group. (See Chap. vi. for further discussion.) 

 In the leaves of the ivy, Hcdera helix, a hemolytic glucoside has been 

 found by Moore.'' It" is of interest that Faust believes the poisonous 

 agent of cobra venom to be a glucoside, closely resembling sapo- 

 toxin. 



As will be seen, all these last-mentioned vegetable hemolytic agents 

 are essentially different from either the bacterial or serum hemolysins, 

 or from the abrin, ricin, crotin, or robin group, in that they are of 

 relatively simple chemical composition, and quite unlike proteins, en- 

 zymes, or toxins. The manner in wdiich they cause hemolysis is 

 unknown, but from their relation to saponin it is probable that, like 

 it, they cause injury- by combining with or dissolving the lipoids of 



Ti Literature, see Mever and Schmiedeberg, Arch. f. exp. Path. u. rharm., 1895 

 (36). 361: Perles, ibid., 1890 (26), 88. 



72 See Kunkel, "Handbueh der Toxokoloie," p. 873. 



73Boehm and Kiilz, Arch. exp. Path. u. Pharm., 1885 (19), 403. 



74Deut. Arch. klin. Med., 1883 (32), 209. 



T5 Jour. Pharmacol., 1913 (4). 263. 



