THE RECENT CATTLE DISEASE IN KANSAS, 
333 
Analysis of ergot. Ledrip. 
Yellow fixed oil. 
Starch. 
Albumen. 
Inuline. 
Gum.. 
Uncrystallizable sugar. r. 
Brown resin.. 
Fungine.. 
Yegeto-animal matter. 
Osmazone. 
Fatty acid. 
Lignine. 
Coloring matter. 
Fungate of potassium. 
Chloride of sodium. 
Sulphates of calcium and magnesium. 
Subphosphate of calcium. 
Oxide of iron. 
Silica. 
An odorous principle, not isolated. 
Water. 
Loss. 
34.50 
2.75 
1.00 
2.25 
2.50 
1.25 
2.75 
3.50 
3.50 
0.75 
0.50 
24.50 
0.50 
2.25 
0.50 
0.50 
1.25 
0.25 
0.15 
2.50 
2.35 
100.00 
Various organic constituents have been separated and advanced 
as the active principle of ergot. Wiggers attributes its action to 
ergotine, and Dr. Weight to the fixed oil, but manifestly without 
sufficient grounds. Winckler isolated secale as a principle iden¬ 
tical with propylamia, the odorous ingredient in herring pickles, 
but if active at all this is only so in a secondary sense. Wenzell, 
of Wisconsin (confirmed by Hermann, of Germany), isolated the 
alkaloid ecbolina which causes cerebral disturbance and lowering 
of the pulse. Wenzell found ergolina possessed a similar but 
much less potent action. Dr. Levi sustains this view of ecbolina 
and ergotina as affecting the brain and heart, but denies that they 
have any action whatever on the gravid uterus. This he found 
to be caused by the phosphoric acid present in the ergot. 
MODE OF ACTION OF ERGOT. 
The most prominent physiological action of ergot, whether 
taken internally or applied locally, is its power of causing contrac¬ 
tion of involuntary muscle. This contraction of the muscles in 
