DR THOMAS R. FRASER ON STROPHANTHUS HISPIDUS. 1021 



the appendages is made alkaline, a volatile body of alkaline reaction is disengaged, which 

 has the peculiar odour of ethylamine or methylamine. 



That an alkaloid exists in the appendages has been frequently asserted on the autho- 

 rity of Hardy and Gallois, who have gone so far as to designate it " Ineine." They, 

 however, give very imperfect evidence of its existence, although they appear to have had 

 a sufficient quantity of the substance to enable them to make several pharmacological 

 experiments with it. They state that it does not act on the heart as Strophanthus 

 does, but at the same time they do not state how it does act, and even if it has any 

 pharmacological action whatever. 



The very minute product which I have obtained by Stas' process is, however, an 

 active substance, with so close pharmacological resemblances to strophanthin itself, that 

 it might well be merely impure strophanthin or an impure decomposition product of that 

 glucoside. At any rate, the endeavours I have made, working with very large quantities of 

 materials, to separate an alkaloid from the comose appendages, have failed to give evidence 

 of the existence of an alkaloid. 



Placenta. 



By percolating 274 grains of placenta with 7 ounces of rectified spirit ( = 11 of spirit to 

 1 of placenta), an extract weighing 8*4 grains ( = 3*06 per cent, of placenta) was obtained. 

 When this extract was mixed with a little water and several times shaken with ethyl 

 ether, 1'86 grains of ethereal extract ( = 0'67 per cent, of placenta) was separated from it, 

 leaving 6*39 grains of dry alcohol extract ( = 2'33 per cent, of placenta). 



Analysis No. 44. 



From this 6*39 grains of alcohol extract there was obtained — 



Impure strophanthin, 1-7 grain = 26*5 per cent, of alcohol extract, or - 62 per cent, of placenta. 

 Mucilage, 3-6 grains = 56-3 „ „ „ 131 ,, „ 



Resin, &c, - 895 grain = 14 „ „ „ 0"32 „ „ 



This impure strophanthin became of a dark violet colour when it was heated with 

 10 per cent, sulphuric acid, and one-tenth of a grain was rapidly fatal to a frog, and 

 produced the ordinary pharmacological effects of strophanthin. 



Endocarp. 



The tincture obtained by percolating 548 grains of powdered endocarp of the follicle 

 with 5 ounces of rectified spirit ( = 4 of spirit to 1 of endocarp) yielded 13'44 grains, or 

 2*45 per cent, of extract, from which there was obtained — 



Analysis No. 45. 



Ethyl ether extract, 3-7 grains = 27 - 529 per cent, of extract, or 0*675 per cent, of endocarp. 

 Alcohol extract, 10-54 grains = 78-422 „ „ 1-923 „ „ 



