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Art. XXXII. — On the Extraction of the poisonous principle of the Tutu Plant 

 (Coriaria ruscifolia.) By W. Skey, Analyst to the Geological Survey 

 of New Zealand. 



[Bead be/ore the Wellington Philosophical Society, August 14, 1869.] 



A great many experiments have, from time to time, been made upon the Tutu 

 plant, with the object of extracting the formidable poison known by sad ex- 

 perience to exist therein ; but, as is well known, these attempts have been always 

 unsuccessful, and have, besides, completely failed to discover anything at all 

 definite as to the chemical or physical character of the poison. 



Among these experiments is a series I made while connected with the 

 Geological Survey Department of Otago, a notice of which appeared in the 

 " Juror's Report for the New Zealand Exhibition of 1865," the only result, 

 however, being to prepare the way for future enquiry, which was promised at 

 the time. 



The Tutu plant does not grow in the neighbourhood of Wellington in any 

 quantity, hence I have been greatly delayed in fulfilling my promise, much 

 against my will ; but recently a large quantity of the seed of this plant 

 has been kindly presented to the Survey, for this pai'ticular purpose by 

 Mr. H. H. Travers, and upon this I at once commenced operations. 



The plan I adopted, was to separate, as well as I could, all the more 

 immediate proximate constituents of the seed (in which the poison is known 

 to exist), and to test each likely one by itself, in its effects upon the animal 

 economy. 



First, I extracted a portion of the finely-ground seed with cold water, and 

 another portion with weakly acidified water, and treated them separately by a 

 new process, now much in vogue, for the separation of alkaloids (Rogers and 

 Girwood), all the evaporations being conducted at a temperature not exceeding 

 90° Fah. 



The residuum from these processes was very small, and gave no indications 

 of the presence of alkaloids to the proper tests ; it consisted almost wholly of 

 gummy matters. 



The result seemed to dispose of all that was soluble in wa/ter or weak acids, 

 and, to a certain extent, impugned the correctness of the general idea that this 

 poison is of the nature of an alkaloid. 



The part of the seed insoluble in these re-agents was next examined. 



Alcohol was passed through this, repeatedly, and the extract evaporated, 

 when a large quantity of a greenish-red coloured substance discovered itself; 

 this treated with Ether separated into two parts, one a green-coloured oil, 

 soluble therein ; the other a resinous substance quite insoluble in this 

 menstruum. 



The resinoid substance was reserved for after-examination, and the oil at 

 once tested in regard to its effects on the animal economy. 



For this purpose, I administered about five minims of it to a full-grown 

 cat, after a twelve-hours' fast ; the oil acted as an emetic in a short 

 time, and the greater portion of it was vomited. In half-an-hour, however, 

 the animal showed signs of uneasiness and convulsive twitches of the eai-s and 

 eyes, together with a forward jerking of the head, took place ; also much 

 frothing of the mouth, culminating in a convulsive fit, in about one hour after 

 the dose was administered. After a little while this fit passed off, only the 

 twitches and forward jerkings continuing ; but a second very severe fit, of 

 short duration, occurred in about one hour afterwards, after which the cat 

 gradually rallied. These symptoms agreed generally with those exhibited by 

 cattle and sheep, when poisoned by this plant. 



Although I have made but one experiment, I think it will be allowed 



