236 Botanic Drugs 



protective bodies; and he speculates upon the pos- 

 sibility of these plant-cancer anti-bodies, admin- 

 istered to a human sufferer from cancer, influencing 

 human cancer. Only by the most painstaking 

 laboratory investigation, however, will light be 

 thrown upon these problems. 



MITCHELLA 



PARTRIDGE-BERRY, SQUAW-BERRY, Mitchella re- 

 pens. Not official. Said to be astringent, diuretic, 

 and parturient. Was used by Indian women as a 

 woman's remedy, and has come down to us as such. 

 It is one of the Rubiaceae, none being active medic- 

 inally. The plant contains no active agent. Pilcher 

 (Jour. Phar. and Exper. Ther., Feb., 1916) reports 

 it as giving negative results pharmacologically. 

 The fl. is given in doses of 30 to 60 minims. 



MUSCARINE 



Muscarine is found in the FLY AGARIC, Amanita 

 muscaria, a poisonous mushroom, used in Homeo- 

 pathic practice under the name, Agaricus muscarius, 

 but largely abandoned by them as a remedy. Agar- 

 icin, derived from it, is a very uncertain and un- 

 reliable agent. Muscarine nitrate, in doses of 1-30 

 to 1-15 grain, has been employed in the treatment 

 of night sweats and in diabetes insipidus. Such use 

 is not to be commended. Synthetic muscarine is a 

 nitrous ester of choline, with a curare-like action. 

 It is about one-tenth as toxic as muscarine, but it 

 should not be used in therapeutics. 



TOXICOLOGY. Muscarine influences involuntary 

 muscle in the same way but to a greater degree 

 than pilocarpine, but affects the secretory glands to 



