UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 



„, BULLETIN No. 1023 „ 



^JJSr Contribution from the Bureau of Chemistry ^ _ 



^dfy&sL w - G - CAMPBELL, Acting Chief 3 ; JCV^^^L 



Washington, D. C. 



January 9, 1922 



THE RELATIVE TOXICITY OF STRYCHNINE TO 



THE RAT. 1 



By Erich W. Schwaetze, Pharmacologist in Charge, Pharmacological 



Laboratory. 



CONTENTS. 



Page. 



Purpose of investigation 1 



Results of previous investigations- 1 

 Pharmacological action of strych- 

 nine 2 



Experimental procedure 7 



Results of experimental work : 



Toxicity of strychnine admin- 

 istered subcutaneously 8 



Toxicity of strychnine admin- 

 istered orally 10 



Toxicity of diatomaceous earth 



preparations of strychnine 11 



Page. 

 Results of experimental work — Con. 

 Effect of age or development 



upon toxicity of strychnine- 12 



Disposal of strychnine 12 



Relative toxicity of strychnine 

 to ground squirrels, mice, 



and rats 14 



Strychnine baits i_- 15 



Summary 17 



Literature cited 18 



PURPOSE OF INVESTIGATION. 



Strychnine, which heretofore has been regarded with little favor 

 as a poison for rats, was selected as the second of a series of such 

 substances to be studied in the Bureau of Chemistry. The work was 

 designed primarily to ascertain the toxicological conditions under 

 which strychnine will prove efficient and to determine the minimum 

 amounts of this comparatively expensive drug which are required to 

 kill rats. 



RESULTS OF PREVIOUS INVESTIGATIONS. 



The literature pertaining to the pharmacology of strychnine is 

 very extensive, but only a few investigators have chosen the rat as an 

 experimental animal. Allard (l) 2 cites Savory, who is said to have 



1 The experiments discussed in this bulletin constitute the second of a series dealing 

 with substances employed as rat poisons. The first, on barium carbonate, was issued 

 in 1920 as Department of Agriculture Bulletin 915. 



2 The figures in parentheses refer to " Literature cited," at the end of this bulletin. 



70589° — 21 1 



