January 28, 1371.] 
THE PHARMACEUTICAL JOURNAL AND TRANSACTIONS. 
G01 
BRISTOL PHARMACOLOGY. 
BY W. W. STODDART, F.C.S., F.G.S. 
(Continued from page 483.) 
PHANEROGAM! A. 
Class I. Dicotyledones. —Subclass I. Thalami- 
FLOR.E. 
Nat. Orel. Ranunculacile. 
Only two plants of this Order are named in tlie 
British Pharmacopoeia, viz. Podophyllum and Aconi- 
tum, the latter being the only British plant, and 
therefore admissible in the present paper. In former 
times many more were made officinal, as Ranunculus, 
Delphinium, and Ilelleborus. 
Aconitum Napdhis (Linn.) 
This beautiful but deadly plant, although originally 
an escape from the gardens, is in many places seen 
to grow thoroughly wild in the neighbourhood of 
Bristol. It may be gathered at Ashton, in the Leigh 
Woods, at Dundry, and at Sliireliampton. Near the 
yillage of Stapleton is Frome Glen, a lonely and pic¬ 
turesque spot, where the river cuts its w r ay through 
the new red sandstone and furnishes a luxuriant 
habitat for a long list of plants. The banks in many 
parts of the glen are completely hidden by Ferns and 
Mosses. 
The rare Asplenium lanceolatum hangs from the 
rocky beds with its elegant fronds and scaly racliis. 
The Lcistrea dilatata grows to a very large size, a 
giant among its sisters Cystopteris, Polypodium, As- 
pidium, Athyrium and Ophioglossum. In one part 
of the river the bank for twenty or thirty yards, and 
eight or ten feet high, is literally covered by tresses 
of FontinaUs antipyretica, a Moss with stems fre¬ 
quently two feet in length. 
A small wood near this spot is a favorite resort of 
the author, and many delightful early mornings have 
been spent in it among the Anemone and Hyacinth, 
the stately Alder, and the pretty little Chrysosple- 
nium. In their midst may be gathered the Aconite, 
growing luxuriantly, and often nearly a yard in 
height. Its dark green, deepfy cut leaves show off 
the curious dark purple flowers. The petals are 
small and concealed within the calyx, which in this 
plant is the most conspicuous part of the flow r er. 
The upper sepal is much longer than the other, 
and shaped like a helmet, affording, as it were, a 
protection from the rain. This singularly-shaped 
sepal gives lise to its English name Monkshood, from 
a fancied resemblance to the hood of a monk’s cowl. 
Indeed, the plant has had all kinds of epithets given 
to it, as helmet flower, wolf’s bane, friar’s cap, storm 
hat, and blue rocket. 
Every part of the plant is probably poisonous to 
all annuals, although Linnaeus said that horses may 
eat the dried herb with impunity. In the B. P. the 
leaves are used for making extract, while the roots 
are used for the preparation of the tincture, liniment, 
and the fearful alkaloid aconitin. 
Being a native of Italy and Greece, the virulent 
properties of the aconite were well known to the an¬ 
cients. Theophrastus was the first to mention the 
word aconite (Hist. Plant, vol. ix. p. 16), but his de¬ 
scription does not agree well with that of Aconitum 
fW ipcllus , and it may therefore be a matter of doubt 
whether he alludes to the same plant. 
Third Series, No. 31 . 
Dioscorides and Ovid often mention aconite as a 
well-known poison. The latter in his description of 
the supposed Iron age, tells of its use in ridding a 
family of a troublesome relative. 
“ Lurida terribiles miscent aconita novercse.” 
At the present day its administration is regarded 
with the greatest caution and infinitesimal dose. 
The poisonous alkaloid aconitin is found in all 
parts of the plant, leaves, roots and seeds. 
The roots are tapering and resemble those of many 
other vegetables; indeed, the specific name Napellus 
is derived from the similarity of the root to that of 
the wild turnip (Napus). 
Aconitin (C 30 H 47 N 0 7 ) exists in combination with 
aconitic acid (0 6 H 6 0 G ). This acid is remarkable as 
being produced from citric acid when distilled at a 
high temperature ; water, acetone and carbonic oxide 
are given off, and aconitic acid left. 
C 6 H 3 0 7 - H 2 0 = C 6 H 6 0 6 
Citric acid. Aconitic acid. 
The B. P. process for the extraction of aconitin is 
similar to that of Dr. Headland or that of M. Stas. 
The alkaloid is first precipitated by an alkali, and 
afterwards dissolved out by ether. The student may 
easily prepare it for himself. To get a profitable re¬ 
sult, it ought to be remembered that the smallest 
proportion of water must be employed before the ad¬ 
dition of the ether, or the result will be materially 
affected, and lessened. 
Mr. Morson also extracted another alkaloid from 
aconite, which he named napellin. The period wdien 
the roots contain the largest proportion of aconitin is 
when after flow'ering the leaves have just died off. 
Analyses of the roots gathered at Frome Glen 
gave the following results, with the ether process :— 
1 lb. av. of fresh root before flowering yielded 3T1 gr. 
1 lb. av. „ after „ „ 7 - 97 „ 
1 lb. av. dried root bought in London „ 3P98 „ 
The alkaloid thus produced when quite dry and 
powdered had a slightly brown colour, and possessed 
all the well-known qualities of aconitin mentioned in 
the B. P. 
Nitric acid dissolved it without change of colour. 
Oxide of chromium was formed by the addition of 
sulphuric acid and bichromate of potassium. It was 
precipitated by tannic acid, terchloricle of gold and 
iodine. 
The difference between samples of aconitin is 
something inexplicable, except on the ground of 
adulteration. Delpliinin and chalk have been men¬ 
tioned as adulterating agents. 
Aconitin is so deadly a poison, that Dr. Pereira 
was accustomed to say it could not be administered 
with safety, and that in one case an old lady was 
nearly killed by one-fiftieth of a grain. Dr. G. Bird 
mentions an instance in which a gentleman swal¬ 
lowed two grains and a half;—a sample of the extent 
to which adulteration has been carried. 
Two well-authenticated cases of poisoning have 
occurred hi Bristol. One at a convent, where an in¬ 
mate had given to her, by mistake, forty minims of 
Fle min g’s tincture. Death ensued about four hours 
afterwards. 
In the other case, a gentleman who had aconite- 
root used with roast beef instead of horse-radish. Mr. 
Herapatli, who was the chemist employed in the 
