SANTONICA. 389 



Wormseed when rubbed in the hand exhales a powerful and agree- 

 able odour, resembling cajuput oil and camphor; it has a bitter 

 aromatic taste. 



Chemical Composition — Wormseed yields from 1 to 2 per cent, 

 of essential oil, having its characteristic smell and taste. The oil is 

 slightly levogyrate and chiefly consists of the liquid C^*H'^0, accom- 

 panied by a small amount of hydrocarbon. The former has the odour 

 of the drug, yet rather more agreeable ; sp. gr. 091 3 at 20° C. It boils 

 without decomposition at 173 "-IT^", but in presence of P-0' or P-S' 

 abundantly yields cymol (see p. 333). The latter had already been 

 observed by Volckel (1854) under the name oi cmene or cynene, yet he 

 assigned to it the formula C*H^ ; Hirzel (1854) called it cinsebene. 



The water which distills over carries with it volatile acids of the 

 fatty series, also angelic acid (see pp. 313, 386). 



The substance to which the remarkable action of wormseed on the 

 human body^ is due is Santonin, C**H'*0'. It was discovered in 1830 

 by Kahler, an apothecary of Dusseldorf, who gave a very brief notice 

 of it in the Archiv cler Phai'macie of Brandes (xxxiv. 318). Immed- 

 iately afterwards Augustus Alms, a druggist's assistant at Penzlin in 

 the gi*and duchy of Mecklenburg-Schwerin, knowing nothing of 

 Kahler's discovery, obtained the same substance and named it Santonin. 

 Alms recommended it to the medical profession, pointing out that it is 

 the anthelminthic principle of wormseed.- Santonin constitutes from 1 J 

 to 2 per cent, of the drug, but appears to diminish in quantity very 

 considerably as the flowers open. It is easily extracted by milk of 

 lime, for, though not an acid and but sparingly soluble in water even 

 at a boiling heat, it is capable of combining with bases. With lime it 

 forms then santoninate of calcium, which is readily soluble in water. 

 On addition of hydrochloric acid, santoninic acid, C^'H^O*, separates, but 

 parts with 0H-, santonin being thus immediately reproduced. Similar 

 facts have been recorded with regard to alantic acid (see p. 381). 



Santonin forms crystals of the orthorhombic system, melting at 170°, 

 which are inodorous, but have a bitter taste, especially when dissolved 

 in chloroform or alcohol.^ They are colourless, but when exposed 

 to daylight, or to the blue or violet rays, but not to the other 

 colours of the spectrum, they assume a yellow hue, and split into 

 irregular fragments. This change, which takes place even under 

 water, alcohol or ether, is not accompanied by any chemical 

 alteration. This behaviour of santonin when exposed to light, 

 resembles that of erythrocentaurin, C^H^Ol The latter has been 

 obtained by means of ether, from the alcoholic extract of Ei^hrcea 

 CentauHuni, and of some other Gentianaceoi. M^hu (1866) has 

 shown that the colourless crystals of that substance when exposed 

 to sunlight, assume a brilhant red colour, without undergoing any 

 chemical alteration. The colourless solutions of this body in chloro- 



^ As the affected vision, so that objects affords additional evidence of the inde- 



appear as if seen through a yellow medium. pendence of the discovery. 



Other effects are recorded by Stills (T/i«"a- ^ Its ready solubility in 3 or 4 parts of 



peiUics and Mat. Med. ii. 641). chloroform renders its estimation easy 



^ The paper of Alms being contained in when mixed with sugar, as in a santonin 



the very same periodical (p. 319) as that of lozenge. 

 Kahler (and further in vol. xxxix. 190), 



