180 BACTERIAL POISONS. 



class by Eoesch and Fassbendee (see page 28). Tbot- 

 TAEELLI obtained a similar substance from the brain of a 

 man in whose abdominal viscera he could find no poison. 

 The sulphate of this base gave on evaporation an aromatic- 

 smelling and astringent-ta-ting residue. It became purple 

 with sulphuric acid alone, and dark red with hydrochloric 

 and sulphuric acids. On frogs this ptomaine showed no 

 toxic effect. 



A Veeateine-like Substance. — Beouaedel and 

 BouTMY obtained from a corpse which had lain in water 

 for eighteen months, and a large portion of which had 

 changed into adipocere, a ptomaine resembling veratrine. 

 It was removed from alkaline solutions by ether. On 

 being heated with sulphuric acid it became violet. With 

 a mixture of sulphuric acid and barium peroxide it be- 

 came, in the cold, brick-red ; and, on being heated, violet. 

 With boiling hydrochloric acid it took on a cherry-red 

 coloration. However, it differed from veratrine, inasmuch 

 as it reduced ferric salts instantly, and when injected into 

 frogs subcutaneously it did not induce in them the spas- 

 modic muscular contractions characteristic of veratrine. 



Bechamp obtained by the Stas-Otto method from the 

 products of the pancreatic digestion of fibrin an alkaloid 

 body which gave with sulphuric acid a beautiful carmine- 

 red, similar to that given with veratrine. By digesting this 

 substance with gastric juice, and again extracting, he 

 obtained a body which behaved with sulphuric acid similar 

 to curarine. 



A Dblphinine-like Substance. — In 1870, General 

 Gibbone, an Italian of prominence, died suddenly. His 

 servant was accused of having poisoned him. Two chem- 

 ists of some reputation reported the presence of delphinine 

 in the viscera. It seemed somewhat improbable that the 

 servant should know anything of so rare a substance, or 

 that he should have been able to obtain it. However, two 

 or more varieties of staphisagria grow in Southern Italy, 

 and it was possible that the servant had used some prepara- 



