172 Dr. T. L. Brunton and Mr. W. Pye on the [June 15, 



XXI. ^^Physiological Action of the Bark of Erythrophleum guinense 

 (Casca^ Cassa_, or Sassy Bark)/^ By T. Lauder Brunton^ 

 F.R.S., and Walter Pye, M.R.C.S. Received June 15, 1876. 

 (Abstract.) 



1. It diminislies oxidation, and thus prerents fresh vegetable tissues 

 from communicating a blue colour to tincture of guaiac. 



2. It does not hinder the development of the yeast-fungus nor the 

 germination of seeds. 



Penicillium grows freely in a solution of it. 



3. A watery solution o£ the alcoholic extract prevents the develop- 

 ment of Bacteria, but one of the watery extract does not do so. 



4. It does not destroy the life of Bacteria or Infusoria. The motion 

 of cilia is not arrested by it. 



5. It arrests amoeboid movement in leucocytes. 



6. It has no action on fresh muscular fibre ; but muscular tissue, when 

 kept in a solution of the alcoholic extract for some days, undergoes 

 extensive fatty metamorphosis, but does not become putrid. 



It does not alter the sensibility of muscle to electrical stimuh, nor does 

 it diminish its lifting power. 



7. It has Httle, if any, poisonous action on the Invert ebrata. 



8. It has a comparatively slight action on fishes and frogs. The 

 symptoms produced by its administration are failure of muscular power, 

 preceded by irregular muscular movement. 



9. On birds a small dose produces violent vomiting and irregular 

 muscular movements, with difficult respiration. These symptoms are 

 followed by loss of muscular power and death. 



10. In cats and dogs the symptoms are restlessness, nausea succeeded 

 by violent vomiting, spasmodic jerks of the limbs during locomotion, 

 quickened respiration, staggering gait, inability to stand, and death 

 generally during a convulsion of an emprosthotonic character, apparently 

 connected with an attempt to vomit. Consciousness seems to be pre- 

 served to the last. 



When injected subcutaneously, although it produces "\iolent vomiting, 

 it never purges ; division of the vagi before its administration lessens or 

 prevents the vomiting usually observed, as well as the other symptoms of 

 distress ; and in one instance a dose which would ordinarily have been 

 speedily fatal produced no apparent effect in an animal thus operated on. 



11. ^\Tien injected into the stomach of a cat it produces violent 

 vomiting and purging. Sometimes this is followed by recovery, in other 

 cases by loss of muscular power and death. 



12. Injection of atropia does not prevent death ; and although in one 

 case it prolonged life for two hours, in other instances it seemed rather 

 to accelerate a fatal issue. 



13. It causes the heart in frogs to pulsate more slowly : the A^entricle 



