POISONS OF TOADS AND SALAMANDERS ] 83 



reaction, soluble in warm alcohol, but slightly in cold. Analysis 

 indicates an empirical formula of C 17 H 27 O, which is probably 

 but half the molecular formula. It probably is the cause of 

 the milky appearance of the dermal secretion. Bufotalin seems 

 to be C 34 H 46 O 10 , is acid in reaction, soluble in chloroform and 

 alcohol, but not in petroleum ether. Subcutaneous injection of 

 2.6 mg. bufotalin killed a dog (weighing 4 kg.) in four to five 

 hours ; given by mouth it causes much vomiting and diarrhea, 

 so that large doses are not fatal. It causes much local irritation 

 when applied to mucous membranes, but produces no marked 

 changes at the site of injection. The eifects on the circulation 

 resemble in all respects those of the digitalis group ; bufonin 

 acting similarly but much weaker than bufotalin. Bufotalin 

 seems to be derived from bufonin by oxidation, and the latter 

 is quite similar to cholesterin, apparently having the following 

 formula : HO-H 26 C 17 -C 17 H 26 -OH. 



Phisalix and Bertrand l have found poison in the blood of 

 toads similar to that of the glands. The hemolytic property 

 observed by Pugliese 2 may be due to the acidity of the dermal 

 secretion. The poisons of different species seem to be quite the 

 same in all (Faust). 



Salamanders also produce poisonous secretions in their 

 dermal glands, which have been studied especially by Faust, 3 

 and earlier by Zalesky, 4 who isolated an inorganic base which 

 he named samandarin. Faust describes samandarin as first 

 stimulating and then paralyzing the automatic centers in the 

 medulla. The poison resembles the alkaloids, having the 

 formula C 26 H 40 N 2 O, and produces death in doses of 0.7-0.9 

 mg. per kilo (dogs) with respiratory failure. Immunization of 

 rabbits was practically impossible. A second alkaloid, saman- 

 daridin (C 20 H 31 NO) is also present in even greater quantities 

 than the samandarin, and differs only in being we'aker. 



Bert 5 and also Dutartre 6 have also described a digitalis-like 

 poison in the secretion of the dermal glands of frogs. 



It is evident that all of these poisons are quite distinct from 

 the venoms, and from the true toxins, apparently being simple 

 chemical compounds not related to the proteids and not capable 

 of causing immunization. The same is true of caniharidin, which 

 is, according to Meyer, 7 an acid with the following formula : 



1 Arch. d. physiol. norm, et path., 1893 (5), 511. 



2 Archivio di farm, e terap., 1894 (2), 321 ; Arch. ital. de Biol., 1895 (22), 79. 



3 Arch, exper. Path. u. Pharm., 1898 (41), 229 (literature) ; 1900 (43), 84. 

 * Hoppe-Seyler's Med. Chem. Untersuch., 1866, p. 85. 



5 Compt. Kend. Soc. Biol., 1885, p. 524. 6 Ibid., 1890, p. 199. 



7 Lit. given by Faust, " Die tierischen Gifte," p. 210. 



