Journal of Agricultural Research 
Vol. VII, No. 3 
114 
Blyth (3, p. 271-272) says that nicotine— 
When pure, is an oily, colorless fluid, of 1.0111 specific gravity at 15 0 . It evaporates 
under ioo° in white clouds, and boils at 240°, at which temperature it partly distils 
over unchanged, and is partly decomposed—a strong resinous product remaining. 
... It has a strong alkaline reaction . . . and a sharp caustic taste. It absorbs 
water exposed to the air, and dissolves in water in all proportions, partly separating 
from such solution on the addition of a caustic alkali. 
The aqueous solution acts in many respects like ammonia, saturating 
acids fully; and by the action of light pure nicotine soon becomes yellow, 
then brown and thick, in which state it leaves, on evaporation, a brown 
resinous substance. 
(2) PHARMACOLOGICAL EFFECTS OF NICOTINE ON VARIOUS CLASSES OF 
ANIMALS 
Greenwood *(9) experimented on certain protozoa, coelenterates, the 
earthworm, certain echinoderms, crustaceans, and on certain mollusks 
by using nicotine. He found that the toxic effect of this alkaloid on any 
organism is determined mainly by the degree of development of the 
nervous system. Thus, for the protozoa that he used it can not be re¬ 
garded as exciting or paralyzing, but is rather inimical to continued 
healthy life. He states (p. 604) that— 
As soon as any structural complexity is reached the action of nicotin is discriminat¬ 
ing, and discriminating in such a fashion that the nervous actions which are the 
expression of automatism—which imply coordination of impulse—are stopped first. 
This is seen dimly in Hydra, and it is more pronounced among the medusae, where 
spontaneity, irradiation of impulse and direct motor activity are affected successively. 
He asserts that relative to the higher invertebrates the paralyzing 
action of nicotine is preceded by a phase of stimulation; and as the 
positively exciting action becomes noticeable, nicotine becomes more and 
more a medium in which life is impossible. He found that animals 
closely allied structurally may also often behave quite differently toward 
nicotine. 
The present writer carried on one preliminary experiment to ascer¬ 
tain the action of nicotine on the lower invertebrates. A piece of scum 
containing many paramecia and nematodes was placed on a slide under 
a cover glass. A drop of pure nicotine was then placed at the edge of 
the cover glass and the following results were observed. The nicotine 
gradually passed under the cover glass by mixing with the water, and as 
quickly as it came in contact with the nematodes they began to 
squirm vigorously, while the paramecia apparently were not affected. A 
little later the nematodes formed themselves into spirals and lay ap¬ 
parently paresized; then suddenly the spirals unfolded. This kind of 
behavior continued until the nematodes were no longer able to move. 
By this time it was observed that the nicotine had passed into their 
bodies, and later the tough cuticles were constricted and contained many 
