622 VEGETABLE DEUGS 



Properties. — Colorless, shining, , ilattened, prismatic 

 crystals; odorless and nearly tasteless when first put in the 

 mouth, Wt afterwards developing a bitter taste; not altered 

 by exposure to air, but turning yellow on exposure to light.: 

 l^early insoluble in cold water; soluble in 40 parts of 

 alcohol, in 140 parts of ether, in 4 parts of chloroform, and 

 in solutions of caustic alkalies. 



PREPARATION. 



Trochisci Santonini. (U. S. & B. P.) 

 U. S. P., gr.ss.; B. P., gr. i. each. 



Dose.— Puppies, gr.H (.015-.03) ; D., gr.i.-iii. (.06- 

 .18); H., 3i-iv. (1.-15.). 



Action and Uses. — Santonin is preferable to santonica. 

 Santonin is chiefly valuable as a parasiticide against round- 

 worms ; viz. : A. lumbricoides of cattle and swine, A. mystax 

 and marginata of cats and dogs, and A. megalocephala of 

 horses. It 'has no influence on tape-worms, nor probably on 

 oxTurides. 



Large doses cause poisoning, with the occurrence, in 

 dogs, of nausea and vomiting, weakness, giddiness, muscular 

 trembling, salivation, twitching of the head muscles, rolling 

 of the eyes and grinding of the teeth. Then flexion and ex-, 

 tension, and rotation of the head from side to side, are fol- 

 lowed by epileptiform convulsions. Between the convulsions 

 momentary contractions of the muscles all over the body may 

 be seen (Cushny). The convulsions are due to stimulation 

 of the cortical and spinal motor centres. There are — slow ■ 

 pulse, dilated pupils, and rapid respiration, and death en- 

 sues from asphyxia. While 5 to 6 grains induce symptoms 

 of poisoning in dogs, -J- to 1 drachm has often failed to produce 

 a fatal result. Santonin is eliminated by the kidneys, in- 

 creasing their secretion, coloring an acid urine yellow, and an 

 alkaline urine purplish-red, or bloody hue. Xanthopsy or 

 yellow sight occurs in man, probably from a specific action on 

 "the retina. There is congestion of the heart, lungs and nerv- 

 ous centres observed after death, but no gastro-enteritis. San- 

 tonin is very slowly absorbed from the intestines and is oxi- 

 dized in the tissues and eliminated as oxysantonins. The 

 best treatment of poisoning consists in emptying the stomach 



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