Chap. IX.] ALKALOID POISONS. 168 



injured. Stronger solutions (but the strength was not ascer- 

 tained) sometimes arrested all power of movement very quickly; 

 thus bits of meat were placed on the glands of several exterior 

 tentacles, and as soon as they began to move, minute drops of the 

 strong solution were added. They continued for a short time to 

 go on bending, and then suddenly stood still; other tentacles on 

 the same leaves, with meat on their glands, but not wetted with 

 the strychnine, continued to bend and soon reached the centre of 

 the leaf. 



Citrate of Strychnine. Half-minims of a solution of one part to 

 437 of water were placed on the discs of six leaves; after 24 hrs. 

 the outer tentacles showed only a trace of inflection. Bits of meat 

 were then placed on three of these leaves, but in 24 hrs. only slight 

 and irregular inflection occurred, proving that the leaves had been 

 greatly injured. Two of the leaves to which meat had not been 

 given had their discal glands dry and much injured. Minute drops 

 of a strong solution of one part to 109 of water (4 grs. to 1 oz.) 

 were added to the secretion round several glands, but did not pro- 

 duce nearly so plain an effect as the drops of a much weaker solu- 

 tion of the acetate. Particles of the dry citrate were placed on six 

 glands; two of these moved some way towards the centre, and 

 then stood still, being no doubt killed; three others curved much 

 farther inwards, and were then fixed ; one alone reached the centre. 

 Five leaves were immersed, each in thirty minims of a solution of 

 one part to 437 of water; so that each received ^ oi a. grain; after 

 about 1 hr. some of the outer tentacles became inflected, and the 

 glands were oddly mottled with black and white. These glands, in 

 from 4 hrs. to 5 hrs., became whitish and opaque, and the proto- 

 plasm in the cells of the tentacles was well aggregated. By this 

 time two of the leaves were greatly inflected, but the three others 

 not much more inflected than they were before. Nevertheless two 

 fresh leaves, after an immersion respectively for 2 hrs. and 4 hrs. 

 in the solution, were not killed ; for on being left for 1 hr. 30 m. in 

 a solution of one part of carbonate of ammonia to 218 of water, 

 their tentacles became more inflected, and there was much aggre- 

 gation. The glands of two other leaves, after an immersion for 2 

 hrs. in a stronger solution, of one part of the citrate to 218 of 

 water, became of an opaque, pale pink colour, which before long 

 disappeared, leaving them white. One of these two leaves had its 

 blade and tentacles greatly inflected; the other hardly at all; 

 but the protoplasm in the cells of both was aggregated down to 

 the bases of the tentacles, with the spherical masses in the cells 

 close beneath the glands blackened. After 24 hrs. one of these 

 leaves was colourless, and evidently dead. 



Sulphate of Quinine. Some of this salt was added to water, 

 which is said to dissolve -n^ part of its weight. Five leaves were 

 immersed, each in thirty minims of this solution, which tasted bitter. 

 In less than 1 hr. some of them had a few tentacles inflected. In 

 3 hrs. most of the glands became whitish, others dark-coloured, 

 and many oddly mottled. After 6 hrs. two of the leaves had a 

 good ma^y tentacles inflected, but this very moderate degree of 

 12 



