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THE PHARMACEUTICAL JOURNAL AND TRANSACTIONS. [December 31,187D, 
SANTONIN, AND ITS DETECTION IN THE 
URINE.* 
BY WALTER G. SMITH, M.B. 
Two singular effects are known to result from the ad¬ 
ministration of santonin in moderate doses, viz. visual 
derangements and a peculiar alteration in the colour of 
the urine. It is with the latter phenomenon that the 
author principally deals, hut he gives personal testimony 
to the effect of santonin on the vision. Three hours 
after taking five grains of pure white santonin he be¬ 
came conscious, while reading, of a yellowish tint on the 
paper and a yellow haze in the air. His own hands, 
and the complexions of others, appeared of a sallow, un¬ 
healthy colour ; and the evening sky, which was really 
of a pale lavender colour, seemed to he light green. 
Vision was not perfectly distinct for some hours, and 
was accompanied by a certain vagueness of definition. 
Many substances, when taken into the stomach, visibly 
affect the characters of the urinary secretion in their 
transit through the system, and a number of vegetable 
colouring matters seem to pass unaltered into the urine. 
Eor example, madder communicates a red tint to the 
urine, and under the use of senna this secretion acquires 
the property of being reddened by ammonia. When 
rhubarb is administered it tinges the urine yellow or 
red, according as the reaction of that fluid is acid or al¬ 
kaline. Carbolic acid, absorbed by the stomach, causes 
the urine to become greenish, and when freely applied 
to the skin has frequently developed a smoky or even 
black colour. Since the isolation of santonin by Kahler, 
forty years ago, it has almost entirely superseded san- 
tonica, and within the last twenty years has been largely 
and increasingly employed as a safe and efficient vermi¬ 
fuge. Various observers have noticed that the mine of 
persons under the influence of santonin is tinged of a 
saffron-yellow or greenish colour, and Giovanni and 
Ambroise state that it often induces apparent hematuria. 
The urine of some of the lower animals, c. g. rabbits, is 
similarly affected. As in the case of rhubarb, the shade 
of colour depends, no doubt, on the reaction of the urine, 
which is coloured yellow when acid, and purplish-red 
when alkaline. 
The attention of the author was drawn to the subject 
by a case in which a boy aged five was given four grains 
of white santonin on the evening of August 18th last. 
Next morning the urine, which had been kept in a tall 
glass vessel, was of a bright pinkish-red. On the even¬ 
ing of the 19th, the boy took another four-grain dose. 
The urine passed soon after was of a greenish-yellow 
colour. A few drops of liq. ammoniac immediately pro¬ 
duced a clear red tint. The author then made a series 
of experiments on himself, the result being- that he found 
the presence of santonin in the urine might be detected 
by the alkali test in periods varying from ten to fifty 
minutes after it had been taken, and that it was elimi¬ 
nated in from thirty to fifty hours. 
A small quantity of saliva was several times tested, 
but always with negative results. It is stated that the 
serum of the blood is coloured yellow by a large dose. 
The colour of the urine was in all cases greenish-yellow, 
sometimes approaching a light saffron tint, the greenish 
hue being best seen by looking obliquely across the sur¬ 
face of the fluid. It resembled the urine of a person 
slightly jaundiced, and, like it, stained linen of a per¬ 
sistent light yellow. In two other respects also it curi¬ 
ously conformed to bilious urine. When nitric acid 
was dropped on a small quantity, a distinct purplish 
colour was brought out, which, however, was evanescent. 
Again, when sulphuric acid was added drop by drop, it 
developed a reddish-brown colour, changing to a deeper 
brown. No such effects were produced on the urine, 
when not under the influence of santonin. The sul¬ 
* Abstracted from a paper published in the Dublin Quar¬ 
terly Journal of Science for November, 1870. 
phuric acid reaction was less ambiguous than the nitric- 
acid, which might affect the colouring matter of normal 
urine somewhat similarly. These reactions, -viewed in 
connection with the altered colour of the urine, show 
that it would be quite possible, from a hasty examina¬ 
tion, to make an erroneous diagnosis of bile in the urine, 
and point to a possible fallacy in regard to the two most 
common clinical tests for bile. 
The alkali test for the detection of santonin in the 
urine is a very striking one, and may he noticed both as 
to its character and its sensitiveness. It simply consists 
in the addition of an alkali to the urine, when a fine 
cherry red or crimson colour will immediately bo deve¬ 
loped, according to the amount of santonin present. The- 
urine will respond to potash, soda, or ammonia, and also 
to lime or baryta water. If a globule of potassium be 
dropped on the urine, a bright-red track is left wherever 
the burning metal skims along the surface. At first 
ammonia was employed, and the colour is well brought 
out by pouring a few drops of liquor ammonke down the 
side of the test-tube, so as to float on the urine, when 
the red zone will appear sharply marked at the line of 
junction of the two liquids. But potash was afterwards 
found to be a more delicate reagent, and is better suited 
for general us®. The rod alkaline fluid is not bleached 
or altered by boiling, but the colour is at once destroyed 
by any acid, even carbonic acid gas. The subsequent 
addition of alkali restores the colour as before; hence it 
may be inferred that the colouring substance is not im¬ 
paired or broken up by acids. Bicarbonate of sodium 
produced no immediate change, but on boiling for some 
time the reddish tint was gradually developed, and was 
discharged by continued boiling. Carbonate of sodium 
afforded similar results, except that it required longer 
boiling before the colour was discharged. Phosphate of 
sodium gave no result. The red-coloured stratum soon 
subsides to the lower part of the test-tube, carried down 
by the precipitated phosphates. Prolonged exposure to 
light in contact with excess of alkali bleaches out the- 
colour, and chlorine at once dissipates it. Considering 
the sparing solubility of santonin, one part requiring 
5000 parts of water at 17‘5°C., the delicacy of the test 
will bo apparent when it is stated that santonin was de¬ 
tected in the urine within ten minutes after 4 grs. were- 
taken, and within an hour after but 1 gr. was taken. In 
one experiment the urine voided twenty-four hours after 
the dose gave a decided red colour with liq. potassm, 
even when diluted with three parts of water. 
For ordinary doses of from 3 to 6 grs. about two days 
are required for elimination, and it is to be remarked 
that the urinary coloration and reaction to the alkali 
test are more persistent than the phenomena connected 
with vision. 
When the red liquid is examined with the spectroscope, 
the red, orange and yellow rays are transmitted, while- 
the blue end of the spectrum is absorbed. In a more- 
dilute state the red and blue rays are transmitted, and 
the centre of the spectrum is stopped. No characteristic 
absorption bands are produced. In order to determine 
the nature of the colouring material found in the urine,, 
and to ascertain its behaviour with reagents as an aid 
towards its isolation, the following process was adopted 
at the suggestion of Dr. Emerson Reynolds :—About a, 
pint of urine, passed after taking 4 grs. of santonin the 
preceding evening, was treated with neutral acetate of 
lead, avoiding excess, and then filtered. To the filtrate, 
neutralized by potash, basic acetate of lead was added so 
long as any precipitate was formed, and until the fluid 
became colourless. Neutralized, filtered, and washed. 
The yellow precipitate was transferred to a beaker, and 
decomposed by the cautious addition of dilute suphuric 
acid ; spirit of wine was added, and the beaker set aside 
for twenty-four hours. Filtered; removed excess of 
sulphuric acid by barytic water, and filtered. The clear 
fluid now gave the pink reaction distinctly with potash, 
but ammonia had no longer [any effect. The colouring; 
