454 poisons : their effects and detection. [§§ 563 - 565 . 
1. CRYST ALLIS ABLE GLUCOS1DES. 
Antiarin (C 27 H 48 0 10 -MH 2 O).—Antiarin is an arrow poison obtained from the 
milky juice of the Antiaris toxicaria (upas tree) growing in Java. It appears that 
antiarin from Java is a mixture of two kinds, a and ft. These, according to Kiliani, 
only differ in their sugars ; analyses lead to the following formulae :— 
a, C 27 H 40 O 10 4H 2 O, and ft, C 27 H 40 O 10 3H 2 O. 
From /Lantiarin, by the action of dilute hydrochloric acid, crystallised rhamnose and 
antiaregenin, m.p. 188°, have been obtained. The portion of the milky juice insoluble 
in alcohol contains a protein which may be extracted to the extent of 6-3 per cent, 
by 0-8 per cent, acetic acid. It contains magnesium, and can be crystallised from 
hot acetic acid. A sample of juice from Borneo yielded, according to Kiliani, a new 
active substance, y-antiarin, easily soluble in water. 
§ 563. Effects. —Antiarin is essentially a muscular and a heart poison. When 
given in a sufficient dose it kills a frog in from half an hour to an hour. Its most 
marked effect is on the cardiac muscle, the heart beats more and more slowly, and at 
last stops, the ventricle being firmly contracted. As with digitalin, there is a very 
marked prolongation of the systole, and as with digitalin, after the beats have ceased, 
a forcible dilatation of the ventricle will restore them (Schmiedeberg). It is doubtful 
whether by physiological experiment antiarin could be differentiated from digitalin. 
§ 564. Separation of Antiarin. —In any case of poisoning by antiarin, it would be 
best to extract with alcohol, evaporate, dissolve the alcoholic extract in water, pre¬ 
cipitate with lead acetate, filter, free the filtrate from lead, and then, after alkalising 
with ammonia, shake the filtrate successively with petroleum ether, benzene, and a 
small quantity of ether, in the manner recommended at page 256 et seq. The liquid, 
now freed from all fatty, resinous, and alkaloidal bodies, is neutralised and evaporated 
to dryness in a vacuum, and the dry residue taken up with absolute alcohol, filtered, 
the alcohol evaporated at a very low temperature, and finally the extract dissolved in 
a small quantity of water, and submitted to physiological tests. 
§ 565. The Active Principles of the Hellebores. —The Christmas 
rose ( Helleborus niger), as well as H. viridis, H. fcetidus, and, in short, 
all the species of hellebore, are poisonous, and if the root is treated with 
alcohol, from the alcoholic extract may be separated two glucosides, 
helleborin and helleborein. 
Helleborin is in the form of white, glittering needles, insoluble in 
water, but soluble in ether, which, if placed on the tongue, are almost 
tasteless, but if dissolved in alcohol, and then tasted, give a burning, 
numbing sensation. By boiling with zinc chloride, helleborin splits up 
into sugar and a resin— helleboresin. Concentrated sulphuric acid 
dissolves the crystals with the production of a beautiful red colour 
on standing, the solution after a while becomes colourless, and a white 
powder separates. K. Thaeter ( Arch. Pharm., 1897) separates it from 
an ethereal extract of the plant, by heating the extract first with light 
petroleum to remove fat, next with acetone to remove tarry and colour¬ 
ing-matters, and crystallises the residual impure helleborin from a 
mixture of alcohol and ether. 
Helleborein forms colourless crystals mostly consisting of fine 
needles ; they have a bitter taste, excite sneezing, and are very 
hygroscopic. The crystals easily dissolve in water and dilute alcohol, 
but are with difficulty soluble in absolute alcohol, and not soluble in 
