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Recapitulation. — Acetic acid fixes or preserves the poisonous property (for a 

 time at least), arresting its decomposition. When lime is added to good 

 extract (poisonous), strong ammoniacal vapour is evolved ; but on the fourth 

 day, in the lime mixed with it, although possessing the odour of the essential oil, 

 not the slightest trace of ammonia can be detected, the oil also, when destroyed 

 by the lime, not giving any ammoniacal vapour, indicates it to be of a different 

 composition, and a non-nitrogenous oil. The decomposition of the poisonous 

 principle, resulting in the evolution of ammonia, shows nitrogen to be present 

 in it. The fragrant oil comes over at 212° F., the poisonous principle at 

 between 350° and 400° F. The spontaneous decomposition of the extract was 

 carefully watched ; there was no other perceptible change than its assuming a 

 more fluid condition. 



From what has been stated, it is obsei-vable that the poisonous principle is 

 very unstable when in a state of extract, decomposes immediately when 

 neutralized with lime, and is fixed (for a time at least) by acetic acid. 



When the treatment of the plants was prolonged the results were variable 

 and of an indifferent character, which I attributed to the principles decom- 

 posing spontaneously when in the presence of water. Also, as the season 

 advanced the results were less satisfactory, as if indicating a smaller amount 

 of the various principles — that is with reference to the shoots, bark and leaves. 



The young ground shoots (plants growing from the ground) gathered in 

 March, 1869, yielded most of the supposed alkaloid and the other principles. 

 They were, besides, more woody than those subsequently examined. The last 

 examined were collected on the 3rd of December, 1869, and were shoots of 

 the tree, but no trace of alkaloid was found, perhaps owing to the above men- 

 tioned supposition. They were macerated for at least twenty-four hours in 

 distilled water, with the application of a gentle heat. 



Report of Experiments made hy Dr. Acheson, with a mixture of Slacked Lime 

 and Water as the Antidote for Tutu Poison. 



" For some time past I have been experimenting on various animals with a 

 watery extract of tutu, prepared by Mr. Hughes, pharmaceutical chemist, of 

 this town, and, at his request, I now state the result. 



" I administered to a cat, fifteen grains of the extract ; twenty minutes 

 after, the respiration became very frequent, slight twitching of extremities, 

 and in five minutes more, a severe attack of convulsions, which lasted about 

 three minutes. Then, an interruption of ten minutes, followed again by a 

 severe paroxysm, which lasted four minutes ; again intermission of ten 

 minutes, which was followed by a severe paroxysm of pui-e tetanic spasm, in 

 which she expired. In this case, from the commencement of symptoms of 

 poisoning the slightest noise would invariably excite a recurrence of the 

 paroxysm. 



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