Some Notes Regarding South African Pharmacology. 123 



Two mice were each given two drops of the resin extract, and died 

 in three and five minutes respectively. Eespiration was greatly 

 retarded, and after death the hearts were found pale and firmly con- 

 tracted, the left ventricles being practically empty. The liver, too, 

 was pale. In a dog muscular tremors and a marked slowing of the 

 heart-beat were the most prominent symptoms produced by about 

 60 grains of the powdered root ; recovery was nevertheless complete 

 by the following day. 



The plant indigenous to this country to whose credit the largest 

 number of poisoning cases must be placed is undoubtedly A cocanthera 

 venenata, Don, to which reference has already been made. The 

 Kaffir names of this plant are given by Smith * as Intlungunyembe 

 or Ubuhlungu benyoka. In reporting on the probabilities of poison- 

 ing by Acocanthera, one is met by the difficulty that is experienced 

 all along the line of South African drugs and poisons — the principle 

 which the plant contains has not yet been fully investigated either 

 chemically or physiologically. Physiologically it is known to act as 

 a violent emetic and by powerfully contracting the muscle of the 

 heart. Chemically there are no recorded tests for the presence of 

 the Acocanthera poison. Smith f states that the active principle 

 has been examined by Professor Fraser, but he records no chemical 

 tests that could be applied to ascertain its presence. The only 

 Acocanthera mentioned by Sohn J is Acocanthera Oitabais, the 

 poison of which appears to differ from that under consideration ; 

 but it is worth noting that the poisonous principles of this plant, 

 namely, ouabain and strophanthin, are also said to cause the rapid 

 arrest of the heart in systole. § In the Pharmaceutical Journal \\ 

 Gerrard deals with the African (Wa-Nyika) arrow-poison, and 

 identifies it with strophanthin. Amongst other conclusions men- 

 tioned, he declares it to be a powerful heart-poison, arresting the 

 ventricle in systole. He also adds — and I shall have to refer to this 

 point later — the following observation : " The antidote is stated to be 

 made from five roots ; . . . to prepare the antidote the roots are 

 converted into charcoal, which is coarsely powdered." A paper has 

 been published by Fraser and Tillie,1l communicated to the Eoyal 

 Society, giving further information respecting the Wa-Nyika arrow- 

 poison ; they place the poison in the genus Acocanthera (possibly 

 Acocanthera Schimperi), at the same time confirming what had 



* " South African Materia Meclica," 3rd ed., p. 37. 



f Op. cit., p« 38. 



J " Dictionary of Active Principles of Plants," p. 93. 



§ Allen, " Commercial Organic Analysis," 1896, vol. iii., pt. iii., p. 140. 



|! Pharm. Journ., vol. xi., pp. 833 to 835. 



M Pharm. Journ., vol. xxiv., pp. 41, 42. 



