CHAPTER X. 



THE IMPORTANCE OF PTOMAINES TO THE TOXICOLOGIST. 



The presence in the cadaver of substances which give 

 not only the general alkaloidal reactions but respond to 

 some of the tests which have hitherto been considered 

 characteristic of individual vegetable alkaloids, must be 

 of the greatest importance to toxicologists. The possi- 

 bility of mistaking putrefactive for vegetable alkaloids 

 should always be borne in mind by the chemist in making 

 his medico-legal investigations. On the other hand, as we 

 have seen in preceding chapters, cases of poisoning by 

 ptomaines sometimes terminate fatally, and in such in- 

 stances the chemist should not be satisfied with determin- 

 ing the absence of mineral and vegetable poisons, but 

 should strive to detect in the food or in the dead body 

 positive evidence of the presence of the putrefactive 

 alkaloid. 



"We will give a brief account of those cases in whicli 

 putrefactive substances have been found to resemble in 

 their reactions the vegetable alkaloids. 



Coniine-like Substances. — The most celebrated case 

 in which a substance giving reactions similar to those of 

 coniine has been found, was the Brandes-Krebs trial, 

 which took place in Braunschweig in 1874. From the 

 undecomposed parts of the body two chemists obtained, 

 in addition to arsenic, au alkaloid which they pronounced 

 coniine. This substance was referred to Otto for further 

 examination. Otto reported that the substance was 

 neither coniine nor nicotine, nor any vegetable alkaloid 

 with which he was acquainted. Otto converted the sub- 

 stance into an oxalate, dissolved it in alcohol, evaporated 

 the alcohol, dissolved the residue in water, rendei-ed this 



