MALArAN FISH POrSOW, 
purified by re- solution m alcohol and iiepeating the above pro<^f»8B. 
Tho result will lie the rcBmuus aubBtiiuue nhove dest-rilwd. The 
mots Mliuuld I r.' dif^estetl a seuoud time in fresh alcohol. The dried 
i\hA yields 9 42 jR-r ct!iit of tubaiii by the atkJTe process. When 
tubaiii is dissolved in spu'its of wine and left to stiuid, a f^i-iiniilur 
dejiosit of a dirty- wliit-u eolour is formi^d, wliitili in uuly spariuj,dy 
gohible in cold alcohol, bid is dissolved by hot idcohol, chlurot'omi, 
and ether. This ^^rauular Uidy rt-deposits on evapttration from 
et.her as i\ ]miv whitt* i-rystalliuo tasti^Jess mass. From its solu- 
tion in chloroform it is left aes a clcai' whiti> varnish. When 
heattid it melts inUt a transparent whiti? ilnid, which on tm in- 
crease of heat tm-ns brownish-red and jiaHly distils, unaltered. 
This sui)stiince when frit.^d fi'om uU traces uf tnliain (i>y reiMsateil 
recrjstalll nation from hot aK;ohol) is nut [Hjisomms to fish. The 
acid aqueous solution left iditer the dciJoaition of the tid^ain^ and 
which eontjdus presumably any aLkidoids present in the roots, is 
also not ]K)isonous. 
One pail of tulmin in 350.000 |Kirt,s of water jiroves quickly 
fatal to fish, and wattjr eontainin|j^ the extnu»rdinarily small 
quantity of one milUonth — Lc, 1 j^ntiin in 148 puunds of water, 
Vi^ill kill fish in from one-quartw to half an hour, aecordinj^ to 
species. There is a considerable lUft'erence in the suscejitibilily 
of various kinds of fish to the effects of the poison, and 
thti siluridie, ar cat-fishes, appear to be the most tolenmt tif 
any. It ha« been stated tbiit fish killed by akcr tuba are some- 
times unwholesome, but when we see the extremely small amount, 
of poison which is required to produce a fatal i-cstdt, it stx-ms 
improi>able that any ill effects can lie j^roduced liy eatiufx lisli 
so killed- the more so as tubaiu distils over w4th the sleaiii 
from boiliiif^ water, and would be. iii part at least, eliminated 
in eoctking. * Tlie ciiished rtjots when lutiled with water in a 
retort yield an opalescent distillate, smelling slroujjrly of the root 
ainl actively ptustvnous. The Malays say that fish kilknl by means 
of aker tuba very qiuckly go bad ; lutt imless tht- jioison iwtH as a 
chemical fennent , which seems milikely (as tulmiu iidded to milk 
causes no change, and, if anything, mther retards its tvu*nin^^ sour) 
it is more probable that the idea arises from ctjiupariug fish caught 
alive and remainiug so in the Uittoni nf a boat for some hours 
perluqfs before they actuidly die, v^ith those killed ly the r<K>t at 
the time they tire taken t>ut iri the water. In the esm.* of fish, the 
imison is evidently absorlx-d by the gitis, and }iasses at one.' intt> 
the circukition of the bhiod, which pnibal>ly accounts for tlie in- 
tinitesimal doses which arc enough to produee lethal results; for 
• 1 Liive taken oiie-foitrth of a, iimin of tttbain withoufc ex]»erieuciujf 
any ill offncts. Tlie rusiu ;viih dissoh-ed iu u few drops of epirita of wine und 
added to about an ouuco of water. 
