122 VETEEINAEY TOXICOLOGY 



GELSEMIUM. 



Occuppenee. — Gelsemium is the root of Gelsemium 

 sempervirens, or yellow jessamine, native to the Southern 

 United States. The drug contains two alkaloids, gelsemine 

 and gelseminine. According to Cushny * gelsemine exercises 

 an effect on frogs like strychnine, but not on mammals, 

 and gelseminine has an action on mammals almost exactly 

 like that of conine. According to the same authority 

 confusion of the two names occurs. Gelsemium is, how- 

 ever, very little used ^in practice, and cases of poisoning 

 thereby are exceedingly unlikely to be encountered. 



Effects. — The general effect is of paralysis of spinal 

 and not cerebral origin. Probably the convulsant action 

 generally observed is due to the gelsemine, the main 

 symptoms being due to the paralysant action of gelsemi- 

 nine. In poisoning one observes muscular weakness, 

 staggering and falling, with convulsive movements of the 

 head, fore, and sometimes hind legs. Eespiration is slow, 

 pulse feeble, and temperature reduced. Consciousness is 

 preserved, and death occurs from asphyxia with almost 

 simultaneous arrest of the heart. 



The lesions are those of asphyxia, as with conine. 

 Stimulants such as strychnine, atropine, digitalis, and 

 alcohol, along with general measures of elimination are 

 indicated as remedies. 



Chemical Diagnosis. — Preparations of gelsemium root 

 are identified by testing for gelseminic acid (/8-methyl- 

 sesculetine) a substance present in many of the Solanacece. 

 It is left as a residue after evaporation of a chloroform 

 extract from acid solution, and is characterised by giving 

 a beautiful blue fluorescence in water or watery alcoholic 

 solution. 



VERATRINE. 



Oecurrence. — Veratrine is contained in the Veratrum 

 album, a species of the Colchicacece found in Alpine districts, 

 * Pharmacology, 1905, p. 265. 



