310 Mr. J. J. Bowrey on the Physiological Action of [Apr. 11, 



applied, takes away warts, and cures ringworms and freckles." He 

 also gives the following as the symptoms occurring in the case of a 

 medical man to whom a negress was believed to have given portions 

 of this plant, violent griping, inclination to vomit, loss of appetite, 

 small convulsions in various parts of the body, hectic fever, and con- 

 tinued wasting of flesh. Under treatment a fatal result was pre- 

 vented, but some considerable time passed before the convulsive 

 symptoms left the patient. 



The flowers, and all the green parts of the plant, are very bitter and 

 acrid, so strong and disagreeable is the taste that I think it almost 

 impossible that an adult could ignorantly take a fatal dose of the fresh 

 plant; both Sloane and Gosse, however, give instances in which there 

 was good reason to think death was caused by rum impregnated with 

 the poisonous principle, a plug of the leaves having been used as a 

 stopper. The dry leaves may be chewed for some little time before 

 their bitterness is observed. Cattle are sometimes poisoned by eating 

 the dry leaves when grazing, the plant having been cut down and 

 carelessly left in the pasture when it was cleaned. The symptoms 

 described to me as occurring in cattle poisoned by UrecMtes suberecta 

 agree with those I have observed in animals to which the poisonous 

 principles have been given in the laboratory. 



Four substances having toxic properties have been obtained, viz. : — 



Crude principle, a resinous body extracted from the leaves by Stas's 

 process, under the supposition that they contained an alkaloid. This 

 substance may be considered to be a mixture of all the active prin- 

 ciples of the plant with a small proportion of inactive matter. 



Urechitoxin, a crystallizable body of detinite composition. 



Amorphous urechitoxin, an uncrystallizable form of urechitoxin, 

 which has not been obtained perfectly pure, but which resembles the 

 crystallizable substance in many respects. 



Urechitin, a crystallizable substance of definite composition, which 

 constitutes the great proportion of the poison present in unchanged 

 UrecMtes suberecta leaves. 



The substances enumerated above are glucosides ; for further infor- 

 mation respecting their preparation and chemical properties the reader 

 is referred to a paper read before the Chemical Society (Journ. Chem. 

 Soc, xxxiii, p. 252). 



The effect of the crude principle was tried on mice and cats with 

 the results now to be detailed. 



Effect on Mice, given by Mouth. 

 Experiment I. 



A little of the emulsion of the crude poison was given to a mouse ; 

 immediately on swallowing it the animal lost all power of locomotion, 

 and convulsive movements of the muscles came on, the whole hind- 



