The Pharmacology of Pseudaconitine and Japaconitine. 379 



has been very restricted in the absence of any definite knowledge as 

 to the nature of their constituents and the physiological action to 

 which they give rise. 



Aconitum ferox has long been known to botanists and travellers in 

 India as a poisonous plant of great virulence. It is used in Indian 

 medical practice under the vernacular name of "Bikh." There appear 

 however to be several varieties of aconite passing under this vernacular 

 name. This is a subject which we are at present investigating with 

 the assistance of the Government of India. 



In 1878 Alder Wright isolated a crystalline, highly toxic alkaloid, 

 from the root of the plant, and named it pseudaconitine. In 1897* 

 one of us gave an account of a complete investigation of the chemistry 

 of this alkaloid, the results of which have led to a modification in 

 certain important respects of the conclusions arrived at by Wright and 

 his co-workers. Our results have been confirmed by Freund and 

 Niederhofheim.f 



For details of the chemistry of pseudaconitine and its derivatives, 

 reference must be made to the paper already referred to. J We may 

 here briefly record the chief properties of the alkaloid. 



Pseudaconitine is a crystalline alkaloid whose composition differs 

 from that of aconitine, being expressed by the formula C36H49NO12. 

 The crystals melt at 202°, and are sparingly soluble in water, but 

 readily in alcohol. The salts are usually crystalline and soluble in 

 water. Their solution and those of the base produce, in excessively 

 minute quantities, a persistent tingling of the tongue, lips, and other 

 surfaces with which they are placed in contact, in this respect re- 

 sembling aconitine and its salts, which produce the same effect. 



When heated in the dry state at its melting point pseudaconitine 

 evolves a molecular proportion of acetic acid, leaving another alkaloid, 

 pyropseudaconitine. This alkaloid, like the corresponding pyro- 

 derivative of aconitine, does not give rise to the characteristic tingling 

 effects of the parent base. 



When a salt of pseudaconitine is heated in a closed tube with water, 

 as in the case of aconitine, partial hydrolysis occurs with the loss of a 

 molecule of acetic acid, an alkaloid, veratryl-pseudaconine, being left. 

 This alkaloid, like the corresponding benzaconine, derived by similar 

 means from aconitine, produces neither the tingling sensation nor the 

 toxic effects of the parent base. 



The complete hydrolysis of pseudaconitine, which is reached when 

 the above-mentioned veratryl-pseudaconine is heated with alkalis, 

 produces, instead of the benzoic acid furnished by aconitine, veratric or 

 dimethylprotocatechuic acid, together with a base, pseudaconine, not 



* 1 Proc. Chem. Soc.,' 1895, p. 154 ; { Trans. Chem. Soc.,' 1897, p. 350. 

 t ' Ber.,' toI. 29, pp. 6, 852. 

 X Loc. cit. 



