102 Botanic Drugs 



would not lead one to expect any such actions 

 from the drug; but the emeto-cathartic agents as 

 well as drugs of the ipecac type, do seem to have 

 a direct effect upon the intestinal mucosa that is 

 more than mere stimulation, although even emetine 

 is not a bactericide. 



The lobelia type of drug, as baptisia seems to be, 

 has an action on the ganglion cells which stimulate 

 the involuntary muscles and gland cells; and this 

 type also promotes suprarenal secretion. Theoret- 

 ically, therefore, one would expect from analogy 

 activity from baptisia if the preliminary considera- 

 tions I have presented are based upon reliable data. 

 This data, however, is admittedly more or less im- 

 perfect. It would seem that a drug admittedly so 

 active, and which has been employed for so long, 

 would have been ere this adequately investigated; 

 but it has not been reported upon in any definite 

 and critical way. 



BELLADONNA 



The leaves of Atropa belladonna, official in every 

 pharmacopeia; the root in the United States and 

 five other countries. 



PHARMACOLOGY. The Solanaceae (belladonna, hy- 

 oscyamus, and stramonium) may be considered 

 together pharmacologically. The nomenclature of 

 the alkaloids is involved; but there are really but 

 two, atropine (racemic) or hyoscyamine (laevorotary) 

 and hyoscine or scopolamine (mixed r. and 1.). At- 

 ropine (or hyoscyamine) contains a basic nucleus, 

 tropine, united to a radicle of tropic acid. Homatro- 

 pine is a substitution product. The basic nucleus 

 in hyoscine (or scopolamine) is scopoline, .and it is 

 combined with a tropic acid radicle. The alkaloids 



