80 VETERINARY MATERIA MEDICA. 



lum; reddish-brown, pitted, internally whitish, very 

 hard and tough, bitter and somewhat acrid. The 

 root or conn is about one inch long, ovoid, fiattish, 

 and with a groove on one side, externally brown and 

 wrinkled, internally white and solid ; often in trans- 

 verse slices, reniform in shape, and breaking with 

 a short mealy fracture; odorless; taste, sweetish- 

 bitter and acrid. 



Chief Preparations.— CoZc/ifci Seminis Pulvis, 

 powdered colchicum seed; Colchici Radicis Pulvis, 

 powdered colchicum root. Dose: H., 3 i.-ij. ; D., 

 gr. i.-v. 



Extractum Colchici Seminis Fluidum, fluid ex^ 

 tract of colchicum seed. Dose: H., fl. 3 i.-iv. ; D., 

 3 ij.-xv. 



Co/c/iicma, colchicine. Dose: H., gr. i.-v.; D., 



Action and Uses. — Emetic in large doses; gas- 

 tro-intestinal irritant and colicky drastic purgative. 

 In moderate doses, diaphoretic, diuretic, and cardiac 

 depressant while small doses decrease the amount 

 of sweat and urine. Arterial tension is lowered and 

 the heart is depressed by reflex action. Moderate 

 doses increase the excretion of salts by the kidneys, 

 especially of urea, and stimulate the flow of bile. It 

 is used in constitutional ophthalmia, in rheumatism 

 in the subacute or chronic form only, usually with 

 salol or potassium iodide. In azoturea with potas- 

 sium acetate or lithium citrate. In acute cerebral 

 congestion and in ascites, full doses with opium and 

 strophanthus. 



