210 Messrs. Warren De La Rue, Stewart, and Loewy [Mar. 14, 



(5) It appears not improbable that codeia and morphia may contain in 

 their molecules benzene residues. Schiff has pointed out* that phenols 

 give colorations with ferric chloride, whereas the corresponding ethers or 

 anisols do not do so ; the well-known distinction between morphia and 

 cGdeia in this respect, therefore, gives some support to the idea that both 

 may be benzene derivatives. 



§ 3. On the Physiological Action of some of the foregoing Derivatives. 

 By Reginald Stocker, M.B., Pathologist in St. Mary's Hospital 

 Medical School. 



Doses of 1 decigramme of the compound C 68 H 81 1 N 4 O 10 , 4HI from 

 codeia, and of the similar compound from morphia, were given to an adult 

 terrier by the mouth without producing any perceptible effect whatever ; 

 when the dose was increased to 3 decigrammes, in each case repeated 

 defalcation in the course of a few hours was produced, the stools being 

 more loose than ordinarily and frequently of a dark greenish colour ; no 

 other symptom was noticeable, and no appreciable difference in the action 

 of the two compounds was perceptible. 



Doses of 5 decigrammes of the compound C 68 H 82 1 2 N 4 O 10 , 4HI from 

 each of these sources were given to the same dog by the mouth, with the 

 result of producing similar repeated defalcation in the course of two 

 or three hours ; the sole difference discernible between these and the former 

 experiments being that the effect was produced somewhat sooner and 

 was of longer continuance in the latter cases, a result probably pro- 

 duced solely by the larger dose. No material differences were observed 

 between the codeia and morphia derivative. 



The same dog was employed throughout, two or three days being 

 allowed to intervene between each experiment, so that the animal had 

 recovered from the effects of a former dose before the administration 

 of another. 



It would hence appear that the derivatives of polymerized C 17 H 21 N0 3 

 are less active than those of polymerized C 17 H 19 N0 3 ; and also that there 

 is no reason for considering the derivatives from codeia as different 

 from those of morphia, the corresponding bodies having respectively the 

 same quantitative composition and the same physical, chemical, and phy- 

 siological properties. 



II. " Further Investigations on Planetary Influence upon Solar 

 Activity/' By Warren De La Rue, D.C.L., F.R.S., Balfour 

 Stewart, LL.D., F.R.S., and Benjamin Loewy, F.R.A.S. Re- 

 ceived January 30, 1872. 



1 . In a previous communication by us to this Society, an Abstract of 

 which was published in the Proceedings, vol. xiv. p. 59, we showed some 



* Ann. Cliem. Pbnrm. vol. clis. p. 158. 



