NOTE ON WINE OF COLCHICUM-SEED. 
549 
new Act of Parliament) with selling poison—namely, one ounce of laudanum, on the 
12 th instant, the same not being properly labelled with the name of the seller printed 
thereon. It was alleged that the laudanum was sold to a girl aged ten years, named 
Mary Ann Barrett. It appeared from the evidence that the child had on several occa¬ 
sions fetched laudanum both from Mr. Gill’s and other druggists in the town for an 
afflicted relation. On the day named she went to the shop of the defendant for one 
ounce of laudanum, taking with her a bottle used for the purpose, upon which there was 
a proper label belonging to another druggist. She was served by the defendant’s wife, 
who did not make use of the label required by the Act when poisons are sold. This was 
discovered by Dr. Ruffe when visiting the relation referred to. He took possession of 
the bottle, and gave information to the police. Mr. Gill pleaded not guilty to the charge, 
and would have called his wife to prove his innocence, but this could not be allowed. 
The Chairman, after consulting wdth his brother magistrates, said that it was their 
opinion there had been a breach of the law; but the offence was so slight that they 
would only mark it by a fine of Q>d. and costs.— Leeds Mercury, January 22nd, 1869. 
PHYSIOLOGICAL ACTION OF THEINE. 
Chemical analysis has shown that tea contains the same crvstallizable, nitrogenized 
principles as coffee and cocoa. Dr. Leven conceived that it would be useful to deter¬ 
mine by experiments whether the physiological effects were the same. Having already 
experimented with caffeine (see Amer. Journ. Med. Sci. for April, 1868, p. 525), he de¬ 
termined to experiment with theine on frogs and guinea pigs. The following are his 
conclusions:— 
1st. Theine and caffeine, considered as one and the same alkaloid by chemists, seem 
to produce different toxic effects on animals submitted to their action. 
2 nd. Theine is a less powerful toxic than caffeine, and it is only when given in double 
doses that the former produces the toxic effects of the latter. 
3rd. Theine also produces convulsive movements in the limbs, which Dr. L. has not 
observed from the action of caffeine. 
4th. In other respects their physiological effects are identical. Both alkaloids seem 
to directly excite the heart and respiratory movements, and to increase arterial tension. 
By exciting the circulation they stimulate the central nervous system, the brain, and 
spinal marrow, but they do not arrest the functions of the spinal cord and nerves. The 
tetanic convulsion resulting from their action is caused by the stimulation of the spinal 
cord. They do not abolish the functions of muscle ; the heart does not cease to beat 
immediately after death.— Amer. Journ. of Pharmacy, from Archives de Physioloyie 
Normale et Pathologique, May and June, 1868. 
NOTE ON WINE OF COLCHICUM-SEED. 
BY JAMES T. KING. 
Complaints having been made that some wine of colchicum seed (English) failed to 
produce its peculiar effects in several cases, even when its administration was run up to 
teaspoonful doses every four hours, until several ounces were taken, I was induced to 
make an examination of the wine, to ascertain if it was so deficient in the active 
principle. 
The following method was adopted:—From a bottle bearing the label of the English 
manufacturers, and having the seal over the cork unbroken, one fluid ounce was taken, 
placed in a porcelain capsule, about one grain of oxalic acid added, and the wine 
allowed to evaporate spontaneously to the consistence of a soft extract. 
This extract was exhausted with two drachms of distilled water and filtered, the 
filtrate slightly supersaturated with liquor potassae, and two fluid drachms of pure chlo¬ 
roform were then added in a test tube, and the mixture thoroughly agitated several 
times. 
