THE ACTIONS OF PHYSOSTIGMA AND ATROPIA. 537 



preliminary note was published, and have since greatly extended." The obser- 

 vations of another experimenter, Professor Bartholow, of Cincinnati, have 

 likewise only recently come to my knowledge. The publication, in the " Prac- 

 titioner" of February 1870, of a paper by me on "Atropia as a Physiological Anti- 

 dote to the Poisonous Action of Physostigma," directed Dr Bartholow's atten- 

 tion to my researches, and by his courtesy and kindness I have been favoured 

 with a copy of an essay on " Atropia," which he had published in 1869. I am 

 thereby enabled to supply an omission that would otherwise have occurred in 

 this account of the literature of the subject, for the essay contains not only an 

 interesting theoretical discussion on the antagonism between atropia and 

 physostigma, but also several experiments bearing on its existence. The 

 experiments were performed on frogs and cats, and a description is given of 

 two experiments on each of these species of animal. One experiment on a frog 

 and one on a cat terminated in recovery, while the two others terminated in 

 death. From these experiments Dr Bartholow deduces a number of general 

 conclusions regarding the mutual counteraction of the two substances on several 

 of the structures and functions modified by them. The following quotation 

 contains an epitome of his Views : — " Atropia is not a physiological antagonist to 

 physostigma, except in regard to their action on the organic nervous system. It 

 would be improper, then, to use atropia against poisoning by Calabar bean. . ." t 

 The second of these propositions seems to imply that the existence of a lethal 

 antagonism was not favoured by the results of the experiments. The account 

 given of the experiments, however, does not justify any opinion as to how far the 

 non-existence of a lethal antagonism is supported by them, for, unfortunately, the 

 obviously necessary information is omitted by which to judge if a lethal dose of one 

 or other substance had been administered to either of the animals that recovered. 



Preparations used in the Research. — In this research physostigma was admin- 

 istered in the form either of an alcoholic extract, or of the sulphate of the 

 active principle. 



The alcoholic extract was prepared by placing a moderately fine powder of 

 the kernel in a percolator, acting upon it with alcohol (84 per cent.) until the 

 powder was exhausted, and then concentrating the tincture by distillation and 

 by evaporation on a water bath, until an extract of ordinary consistence was 



* Since this sentence was written, I have received a more recent paper by M. Bourneville. which 

 contains evidence of an absolutely satisfactory nature regarding the power of atropia to counteract the 

 lethal action of physostigma. It is entitled, " De TAntagonisme de la Feve de Calabar et de 1' Atropine," 

 and appears to be a reprint from the " Revue Photographique des Hopitaux," of June 1870. A de- 

 scription is given of five experiments on guinea pigs, in which non-lethal doses of atropia were adminis- 

 tered a few minutes after lethal doses of extract of physostigma, with the result that recovery took 

 place in all of the experiments. The great value of the evidence contained in this paper depends on 

 the fact that the doses of physostigma given were proved to be at least equal to the minimum lethal. 

 This was accomplished in much the same way as has been described in my preliminary note in the 

 Proceedings of this Society, and in my communication to the "Practitioner" of February 1870. 



t Loc. cit. p. 46. 



VOL. XXVI. PART III. 7A 



