134 
ATROPA BELLADONNA. 
of paralysis, convulsions, or coma appear, the usual remedies in 
such cases should be immediately resorted to. 
Sensible Properties. The leaves of deadly nightshade when 
recent have a slight and somewhat disagreeable smell, their taste is 
nauseous, and slightly acrid ; the infusion is not altered by the sul- 
phate of iron. 
Chemical Properties. According to the analysis of Messrs. 
Brandes and Vauquelin, the Atropa Belladonna yields the following 
constituents: — wax, 0.7; resinous chlorophylle, 5.84; acid malate 
of Atropine, 1..51 ; gum, 8.03; fecula, 1.25; woody fibre, 13.7; 
phyteuniacolle, 6.9 ; a matter analagous to osmazome, with malate 
of atropine, oxalate, hydrochlorate, and sulphate of potass, 16.05 ; 
soluble albumen, 4.7 ; hard albumen, 6 ; ammoniacal salts and 
acetates, nmlate of atropine, oxalate, malate, sulphate, hydro- 
chlorate, and nitrate of potass; oxalate, malate (?) and phos- 
phate of lime, and malate and phosphate of magnesia, 7.47 ; water, 
25.8; loss, 2.05. The ashes contain oxide of copper. 
Atropine. This salifiable substance was discovered by M. 
Brandes in the Atropa Belladonna, and from the result of his ex- 
periments he considers the active properties of Belladonna to reside 
in this peculiar substance. 
To obtain this principle M. Brandes boiled two pounds of the 
dried leaves of the Atropa Belladonna in a sufficient quantity of 
water, pressed out the decoction, and boiled the leaves again in 
water ; the decoctions were mixed, and some sulphuric acid was 
added, in order to throw down the albumen and similar bodies; the 
solution was thus rendered thinner, and passed more readily through 
the filter. The decoction was next supersaturated with potass, by 
which he obtained a precipitate, weighing, after having been washed 
with pure water and dried, eighty-nine grains. It consisted of small 
crystals, from which, by solution in aicids, and precipitation by 
alkalies, atropine was obtained in a state of purity.* Or atropine 
may be obtained by digesting the decoction of the herb of the 
Atropa Belladonna with magnesia, boiling the precipitate in alco- 
hol, and filtering ; the atropine crystallizes on cooling, in needles, or 
colourless, translucent, shining prisms.f 
i?ROPERTiES OF ATROPINE. According to M. Brandes, atro- 
pine is almost insoluble in water ; soluble in both hot and cold 
* Ure's Cbeinical Diotiouar;. Art. AtropUi. 
t Chimie Organique, par Leopold Gmelin. Edition de Virey, p. 398. 
