N. O. I! UTAl'li-'K. 
245 
.Dr. P. Gopal, of Bombay, lias found the infusion or tincture 
of the drug to act as stimulant emmenagogue, producing 
slight intoxication like Cannabis Indica. He gave the tincture 
in 5 drachm doses to a female suffering from amenorrhoea, 
and it had the effect of producing a free menstrual discharge ; 
ho further says that it is sometimes used by the native m hi wives 
to procure abortion. He believes that it has properties in 
common with ergot, savine and rue. (Dvmock p. 125.) 
According to Mcodeen Sheriff the seeds are narcotic, anti- 
pasuiodic, hypnotic, anodyne, nauseant, emetic and emmen- 
agogue. He recommends their employment in cases of asthma, 
hiccough, hysteria, rheumatism, impaction of calculus in the 
ureter, and of gallstone in the gall duct, colic, jaundice, dysmen- 
orrhaea and neuralgia; in all of which they relieve pain and 
procure sleep. The relief afforded by this drug in simple 
cough and a few other pectoral affections is generally satis- 
factory. It is also a good nauseant and depressant emetic 
in its largest medicinal doses ( S i ss. to 3 ii) ; but it cannot be 
employed as such in general practice,' because its use in 30 
large a quantity is always accompanied by its narcotic and 
hypnotic actions- “ No Hospital should be, in my humble 
opinion,” wrote the late Dr. Moodeeu Sheriff, without a drug 
so cheap and with so many good qualities as Hnrmal.” 
According to J. A. Gunn (Royal Society, Edinburgh, 22, 
November 190!)) harmaline belongs to the group of protoplas- 
mic poisons of which the best known alkaloid is quinine, and 
the actions of harmaline and quinine are practically the same, 
so that it is possible that harmaline may come to be used as a 
substitute for quinine. 
Harmaline has been shown to bo dihydroharmine ; both it and harmine 
arc optically inactive in acetic acid solution. The oxidation of harmaline, 
C 13 H w Nj O, to harmine, C 13 H n N 2 O, is best effected with potassium per- 
manganate in dilute sulphuric acid solution. Methylharmine melts at 200° ; 
its hydrochloride and flesh-coloured platinoehloride, (C 13 H n Me N 2 0) 2 , H 2 FtCl 3 + 
2HjO, were prepared ; it unites with more metliylic iodide, yielding a quater- 
nary iodide, C^H^MeN-jO, Mel, which reacts with silver nitrate, forming 
the crystalline nitrate ; the platinoehloride, and aurochloride of this quater- 
nary base were also prepared. Acetylharmaliue, C, 3 H l3 AcN 2 0, can be prepared 
by dissolving harmaline and fused sodium acetate in acetic anhydride, heating 
