464 
Cardiac  Stimulants  and  Depressants.  {A™-C£™r  f9iorm' 
No. 
1 
2 
3. 
4 
5 
6 
Preparation 
Chem.  Assay 
Gramme  Aconitine 
in  100  c.c. 
Tinct.  U.S.P  0.041 1 
Tinct.  U.S.P  0.0614 
Tinct.  U.S.P  0.0480 
Tinct.  U.S.P  0.0425 
F.  E.   (leaf)   0.2400 
F.  E.  (root)   0.4400 
F.  E.  (root)   0.4150 
Phys.  Assay,  Min. 
Lethal  Dose  for 
250  Gm.  Pigs 
O.I30 
O.075 
O.IOO 
0.125 
0.020 
0.0075  cc 
0.0075  C.C 
C.C. 
C.C. 
C.C. 
C.C. 
C.C. 
Per  cent.  Aconitine 
calc.  from  a  Lethal 
Dose  of  0.1  c.c.  of 
Tincture 
0.053 
O.046 
O.O48 
OO53 
O.O48 
0.033* 
0.031 
Average   0.044 
A  survey  of  the  above  table  shows  far  less  concordance  between 
chemical  assay  and  lethal  dose  than  in  the  case  of  digitalis.  The 
agreement  is  fairly  close  in  the  case  of  the  tinctures  and  of  the 
fluidextract  of  leaf,  but  the  two  fluidextracts  of  root  possess  a 
degree  of  toxicity  about  25  per  cent,  greater  than  should  have  been 
expected  from  the  chemical  assay.  A  continuation  of  the  collection 
of  data  will  throw  additional  light  on  this  peculiar  observation. 
Gelsemium. — A  comparison  of  the  results  of  chemical  assay  for 
total  alkaloids  in  gelsemium  with  its  minimum  lethal  dose  was  first 
undertaken  at  the  suggestion  of  Prof.  L.  E.  Sayre,  who  describes 
the  results  first  obtained  on  page  855  of  the  1908  Proceedings  of 
the  American  Pharmaceutical  Association.  Attention  is  also 
directed  to  the  reported  discussion  on  Prof.  Sayre's  paper  on  pages 
851-8  of  this  volume.  The  following  table  shows  the  results 
obtained  since  that  time, — the  chemical  assay  method  used  being 
that  of  Webster  as  described  by  Sayre  in  the  article  mentioned 
above : 
No.  Preparation 
Fluidextract 
Fluidextract 
Chem.  Assay 
Gramme  Alkaloid 
in  100  c.c. 
Phys.  Assay,  Min. 
Lethal  Dose  for 
250  Gm.  Pigs 
Per  cent.  Alkaloids 
calc.  from  a  Lethal 
Dose  of  0.375  c.c. 
of  Fluidextract 
2.00  C.C. 
0.17 
  0.0715 
1.25  C.C. 
0.23 
 O.0538 
2.00  C.C. 
0.29 
0.375  c.c. 
0.40 
 O.4OO 
0.375  c.c. 
0.40 
  O.40O 
0.375  c.c. 
O.4O 
  0.500 
0.300  c.c. 
O.4O 
  O.550 
0.3  c.c. 
0-44 
•  •  •  O.465 
0.4  c.c. 
0.50 
O.52 
Average    0.375 
Average  on  fluid  and  solid  extracts  alone  0.437 
