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XXI. — Strophantus hispidus : its Natural History, Chemistry, and Pharmacology. 

 By Thomas E. Fraser, M.D., F.R.S., F.R.S.E., F.R.C.P.E., Professor of Materia 

 Medica in the University of Edinburgh. 



Part I. — Natural History and Chemistry. (Plates I. -VII.) 



(Read 4th February 1889.) 



CONTENTS. 



Histoeical Introduction, .... 



A. Natural History — 



1. Use in Africa as an Arrow-Poison, and 



Description of Arrows, 



2. Botanical Description — 



General Description, 



Description of Root, Stem, Leaves, 

 Flowers, Follicles, and of Seeds and 

 other contents of the Follicles, 



Dehiscence of Follicles and Dissemi- 

 nation of Seeds, .... 



PAGE 



955 



960 



975 



977 



990 



FAGE 



'. Chemistry — 



1. Seeds — 



Composition ; Ether Extract ; Alcohol 

 Extract, its Characters, Constituents, 

 and Reactions ; Absence of an Alka- 

 loid ; Presence of a Glucoside, . 993 



Strophanthin ; its Preparation, Charac- 

 ters, Composition, and Reactions, . 1008 



Strophanthidin; Kombic Acid, . 1017 



2. Composition of other Parts of the Plant — 



Comose Appendages; Pericarp; Leaves; 



Bark; Root, 1018 



Explanation of Plates I.-VIL, . . . 1025 



Historical Introduction. 



The preliminary notices published by me in 1870 and 1872, on the action and 

 chemistry of Strophanthus, indicated that it was likely to prove of value as a therapeutic 

 agent; and so early as the year 1874, I had applied the substance in a few cases to the 

 treatment of disease. Before sufficient data, however, had been obtained to justify any 

 conclusions regarding its value as a therapeutic agent, the observations were interrupted 

 by my leaving Edinburgh to occupy a public office in England, in connection with which 

 it was impossible to conduct observations on the treatment of disease. In 1879, oppor- 

 tunities were again afforded to resume the interrupted observations, and results con- 

 firmatory of the anticipations which had been raised by the earlier physiological observa- 

 tions were gradually collected. The publication of a few of these results at the Cardiff 

 meeting of the British Medical Association in 1885* has led to Strophanthus gaining a 

 wide recognition as an important therapeutic agent, and to the production of numerous 

 papers dealing with its botany, chemistry, pharmacology and therapeutics, not only in 

 this country, but also in the continent of Europe and in America. 



In this paper I propose to give, with greater detail than has been attempted in the 



* British Medical Journal, vol. ii., 1885, p. 904. 

 VOL. XXXV. PART IV. (NO. 21). 7 G 



