36  ON  GELSEMINIA. 
versal  prostration,  reducing  the  force  and  frequency  of  the  pulse 
and  the  frequency  of  respiration,  and  producing  insensibility  to 
pain,  but  without  stupor  or  delirium. 
It  is,  therefore,  exceedingly  potent,  and  I  am  cognizant  of  at 
least  two  cases  of  poisoning  by  its  unintentional  use — one  result- 
ing in  the  death  of  the  individual,  the  other  recovering  only  upon 
the  prompt  administration  of  an  antidote. 
During  the  past  twenty  years  various  writers  have  commented 
upon  its  uses  and  effects  in  the  different  medical  journals  of  the 
day. 
So  far  as  I  can  learn  no  published  account  of  the  existence  of 
an  alkaloid,  covering  the  active  principle  of  Gelsemium  semper- 
virens  exists,  if  I  may  except  a  reference  to  its  appearance  by 
Mr.  Henry  KoUock,  Amer.  Journ.  Pharm.  xxvi,  203,  which 
was  not  elaborated.  Yet  I  have  received  private  statements  of 
its  presence  and  production,  and  have  been  privileged  to  ex- 
amine an  impure  sample  of  the  so-called  "  gelseminia,"  pre- 
pared by  Prof.  Maisch,  which  gave  decided  alkaline  reaction 
with  appropriate  tests. 
This  gelseminia  was  produced  by  the  following  process  : 
An  alcoholic  tincture  was  evaporated  to  small  bulk,  diluted 
with  water  to  precipitate  resin,  filtered,  precipitated  with  tannic 
acid,  treated  with  hydrated  oxide  of  lead,  exhausted  by  alcohol 
and  evaporated  ;  before  dryness  ether  was  added,  and  upon 
spontaneous  evaporation  greenish  red  crystals  mixed  with  resin- 
ous matter  resulted. 
With  a  view  to  properly  determine  this  query,  early  arrange- 
ments were  made  to  procure  from  Albany,  State  of  Georgia, 
through  Messrs.  Welsh,  a  supply  of  Gelsemium  sempervirens, 
which,  being  collected  at  the  proper  period,  arrived  during  the 
spring  of  the  present  year.  Upon  examination  the  sack  for- 
warded contained  portions  of  the  entire  plant,  the  gross  weight 
of  which  was  six  av.  pounds,  13  ozs.  being  roots,  13J  ozs. 
leaves,  the  remainder  vines,  and  were  shipped  in  this  form  in 
consequence  of  a  misunderstanding,  my  purpose  requiring  but 
the  roots  and  leaves. 
The  roots  being  prepared  for  percolation,  were  exhausted  with 
strong  alcohol,  the  tincture  evaporated  to  the  measure  of  a  few 
