Chap. IX.] ALKALOID POISONS. 165 



Acetate of Quinine. Four leaves were immersed, each in thirty 

 minims of a solution of one part to 437 of water. The solution 

 was tested with litmus paper, and was not acid. After only 10 m. 

 all four leaves were greatly, and after G hrs. immensely, inflected. 

 They were then left in water for GO hrs., but never re-expanded; 

 the glands were white, and the leaves evidently dead. This salt 

 is far more eliicient than the sulphate in causing inflection, and, 

 like that salt, is highly poisonous. 



Nitrate of Quinine. Four leaves were immersed, each in thirty 

 minims of a solution of one part to 437 of water. After 6 hrs. 

 there was hardly a trace of inflection; after 22 hrs. three of the 

 leaves were moderately, and the fourth slightly inflected; so 

 that this salt induces, though rather slowly, well-marked inflec- 

 tion. These leaves, on being left in water for 48 hrs., almost com- 

 pletely re-expanded, but the glands were much discoloured. Hence 

 this salt is not poisonous in any high degree. The diflferent action 

 of the three foregoing salts of quinine is singular. 



Digitaline. Half-minims of a solution of one part to 437 of 

 water were placed on the discs of five leaves. In 3 hrs. 45 m. some 

 of them had their tentacles, and one had its blade, moderately in- 

 flected. After 8 hrs. three of them were well inflected; the fourth 

 had only a few tentacles inflected, and the fifth (an old leaf) was 

 not at all affected. They remained in nearly the same state for 

 two days, but the glands on their discs became pale. On the 

 third day the leaves appeared much injured. Nevertheless, when 

 bits of meat were placed on two of them, the outer tentacles be- 

 came inflected. A minute drop (about ^ of a minim) of the solu- 

 tion was applied to three glands, and after 6 hrs. all three ten- 

 tacles were inflected, but next day had nearly re-expanded ; so that 

 this very small dose of ttJctj of a grain (.00225 mg.) acts on a 

 tentacle, but is not poisonous. It appears from these several facts 

 that digitaline causes inflection, and poisons the glands which ab- 

 sorb a moderately large amount. 



Nicotine. The secretion round several glands was touched" with 

 a minute drop of the pure fluid, and the glands were instantly 

 blackened; the tentacles becoming inflected in a few minutes. 

 Two leaves were immersed in a weak solution of two drops to 1 oz., 

 or 437 grains, of water. When examined after 3 hrs. 20 m., only 

 twenty-one tentacles on one leaf were closely inflected, and six on 

 the other slightly so; but all the glands were blackened, or very 

 dark coloured, with the protoplasm in all the cells of all the ten- 

 tacles much aggregated and dark coloured. The leaves were not 

 quite killed, for on being placed in a little solution of carbonate of 

 ammonia (2 grs. to 1 oz.) a few more tentacles became inflected, 

 the remainder not being acted on during the next 24 hrs. 



Half-minims of a stronger solution (two drops to A oz. of water) 

 were placed on the discs of six leaves, and in 30 m. all those 

 tentacles became inflected; the glands of which had actually 



gated masses of protoplasm, granular apnenranco. A similar 

 which api)oai-pd killed by the appearance is caused by very hot 

 quiuine, likewise presented a water. 



