170 DRS CRUM BROWN AND FRASER ON THE CONNECTION BETWEEN 



No. of 

 Experiment. 



Substance 

 employed. 



Animal and its 

 weight. 



Method of 

 exhibition. 



Dose. 



Effect. 



XL. 



Iodide of methyl- 

 brucium. 



Rabbit, 4 lbs. 



Subcutaneously. 



15 grs. (contain- 

 ing 8'7 grs. of 

 dry brucia). 



Paralysis in 3 hours and 

 3 minutes, continuing 

 for more than 28 minutes, 

 and followed by recovery. 



XLIII. 



Brucia (crystal- 

 lised). 



Do. (same rabbit 

 as in Experi- 

 ment XL.) 



Subcutaneously. 



- 2 gr. (contain- 

 ing 0'17 gr. of 

 dry brucia). 



Tetanus in 8 minutes ; 

 death in 18 minutes 30 

 seconds. 



XLVI. 



Iodide of methyl- 

 brucium. 



Do., 4 lbs. 2 oz. 



By stomach. 



30 grs. (contain- 

 ing 17*4 grs. 

 of dry brucia). 



No effect. 



LI. 



Brucia (crystal- 

 lised). 



Do. (same rabbit 

 as in Experi- 

 ment XLVI.) 



By stomach. 



2 grs. (contain- 

 ing 1-7 gr. of 

 dry brucia). 



Tetanus in 44 minutes ; 

 death after 3 hours. 



LIII. 



Sulphate of me- 

 thyl-brucium, 

 dried. 



Do., 2 lbs. 13| oz. 



Subcutaneously. 



2 grs. (contain- 

 ing 1-7 gr. of 

 dry brucia). 



Paralysis in 20 minutes, 

 continuing for about 1 

 hour and 40 minutes, and 

 followed by recovery. 



LVIII. 



Sulphate of me- 

 thyl-brucium, 

 dried. 



Do., 4 lbs. 2 oz. 



By stomach. 



20 grs. (contain- 

 ingl7'2grs. of 

 dry brucia). 



No effect. 



THEBAIA. 



One of the active principles of opium possesses an action in all respects the 

 same in character as that of strychnia or brucia. We principally owe our know- 

 ledge of the method in which thebaia acts to the admirable researches of Claude 

 Bernard. This distinguished physiologist has further demonstrated that thebaia 

 does not possess any soporific property, that it is the most active toxic principle 

 in opium, and that it ranks first among the alkaloids of this drug that have a 

 convulsant action.* From our experience of its properties, we should assign 

 to it a lower rank than brucia as a toxic and convulsant substance. 



Iodide of methyl-thebaium. — The close analogy in physiological action that 

 exists between thebaia (C 19 H 21 N0 3 ) on the one hand, and strychnia and brucia on 

 the other, led us to subject this alkaloid to the action of iodide of methyl. The 

 method adopted was the same as that described for the preparation of iodide of 

 methyl-brucium, and the reaction takes place as readily. The product crystallises 

 from alcohol in hard, shining, transparent crystals, which, when air-dried, have 

 the composition (C 19 H 21 N0 3 CH 3 I). They dissolve in 16-5 parts of water at 37°C, 

 and in 635 parts of water at 9°C.f When a hot, saturated, aqueous solution 

 is allowed to cool, it gelatinises, and the jelly, when left to itself, in some 

 hours, and, when stirred, in a few minutes, is converted into a mass of minute 

 silky needles, which when dried in the air, have the same composition as the 

 crystals obtained from the alcoholic solution. 



* Comptes Rendus, vol. lix. 1864, p. 413. 



\ The methyl derivatives of thebaia have not been described. We shall take some other oppor- 

 tunity of giving details of their chemical relations. 



