52 
other times one finds him at the end of thirty-six hours so lethargic that he lies and refuses to move even 
when touched with the blunt end of a piece of stick. In twelve hours the lethargy may wear off, and he 
moves a little ; and in twelve hours later the paralysing action of the alstonine has passed off, and he 
becomes lively, but only for a time, till he evidently has again engorged himself. 
(3.) Contained 1 in 5,000 pure strychnine diluted, as in the case of alstonine. Though it may 
appear strange, it is nevertheless true that strychnine had comparatively little effect on the beetle. At 
the end of two or even three days he may be as lively as when first caught. 
(4.) Contained 1 in 1,000 quinine in sugar, as before. This experiment shows that quinine is more 
toxic to beetles than either strychnine or alstonine. At the end of twelve hours the beetle is dull, dazed, 
and unable to walk ; and in twelve hours later he lies on his back, and when gently turned over walks 
feebly, and in thirty-six hours is dead. 
Acdon on Crickets. —In this experiment the house cricket (Acheta domesticn) was used. If catching 
a beetle is ticklish, capturing a live cricket without injuring him is a task nearly as difficult as getting hold 
of De Wet. You must sit and watch—may be for half an hour—in a dull light till he issues from his 
lair, and when he has ventured a sufficient distance, and has turned his back upon his i>lace of retreat, you 
steal up behind him and slowly lower your body so as to rest on your heels, and then as slowly raise your 
hand so as to get right on the top of him, and then, as swift as lightning, pounce down on him—and then 
you find he has doubled back and has reached his hole, which he enters with a jubilant and sarcastic 
chirrup. T found crickets would not take the white sugar or quinine sugar and strychnine sugar, but 
readily took the nice chocolate brown alstonine sugar. Had the colour anything to do with their dislike ? 
I nicely browned the cane sugar before starting my second set of experiments, and was successful. 
(1) Plain brown sugar with water trough as in the beetle experiments ; crickets lived three days, and were 
well when they were killed. (2) 1 in 1,000 strychnine; dead generally in eighteen hours. (3) 1 in 
1,000 alstonine; appear dead in thirty-six hours, but revive in a few hours, but finally die in fifty-four 
hours. (4) 1 in 1,000 quinine; experiments too few to be conclusive. 
Action on Wasps. —For this the ground wasp ( Vespa vulgaris ) was principally employed. Catching 
a wasp is not an easy matter when your desire is to have one wasp in each bottle. You can, by alluring 
them, get eight wasps in one bottle, but the perversity of the wasp’s nature does not allow of eight wasps 
in eight bottles. You have to catch them by hand. My plan was to wait in a sweet shop in the country 
about the end of August, put on a thick kid glove, and, when a wasp lias comfortably settled down on a 
sweetmeat, to drop down on him and hold him gently by the head and in such a position that he could not 
put his body into stinging attitude ; and, after having ascertained that he was uninjured, I dropped him 
into the prepared bottle. Till I got up to his tricks 1 found a wasp would send his sting so deeply into 
the thick kid glove that sting and poison gland were pulled away together. With practice a wasp can be 
so manoeuvred that he is caught without injury. (1) Plain sugar without water ; wasps live in this for 
three to four days and longer, and bore the cork of the bottle actively all the time. (2) 1 in 5,000 
strychnine ; do not die before two days, and bore the cork actively most of the time. (3) 1 in 1,000 
quinine ; only live twenty-four hours at most. (4) 1 in 1,000 alstonine ; only live twenty-four hours, and 
may die in twelve. 
Wasps in both the quinine and alstonine sugar bore the cork very lazily, and often lie dazed. 
Alstonine appears to affect the wasp’s equilibrium, for as he walks he often misses his footing. 
Action on Frogs. —The frogs were pithed—that is, sensibility was destroyed before any experiments 
were made. The action was found to be rather different from strychnine. The chief action was a marked 
irritability of the reflexes of the extremities, especially of the upper extremities, so that the poison 
evidently acts more directly on the upper part of the spinal cord. 
This work is being carried on, and the results will be published in another quarter. 
Therapeutics. —In the Lancet of 9th February, 1901, I have already expressed my \iews on this 
point, and I need only here shortly summarise the same. Alstonia conslricta bark is a useful tonic, having 
some of the advantages of both Peruvian bark and nux vomica, without many of their disadvantages. It 
is particularly useful in influenza in tincture form and in the dose I have already mentioned. It acts on 
the skin and kidneys, and so aids in the elimination of the influenzal poisonous products, and thus it can 
be employed as soon as the acute symptoms have passed off. 
