QUININE  AND  QUINIDIN  IN  THE  URINE. 
meriting  on  iodosulphate  of  quinine,  he  determined  to  bring  this 
method  practically  into  use  for  the  detection  of  minute  quantities 
of  quinine  in  organic  fluids,  and  succeeded  so  entirely  that  he 
was  able  to  demonstrate  the  presence  of  quinia,  "  even  in  quan- 
tities not  exceeding  the  one  hundred  thousandth  part  of  a  grain  ; 
in  fact,  in  quantities  so  exceedingly  minute  that  all  other  methods 
would  fail  in  recognizing  its  existence."  The  same  process  slightly 
modified  has  enabled  our  author  to  recognize  quinidin  in  the  urine 
of  a  patient  in  an  unaltered  state. 
The  following  observation  relative  to  the  examination  of 
urine  for  the  alkaloids  in  question,  and  the  subsequent  remarks 
relative  to  commercial  quinine  and  quinidin,  are  taken  verbatim 
from  Dr.  Herapath's  paper,  together  with  the  illustrations. 
"A  Chemical  examination  of  the  urine  of  a  man  suffering  from 
tetanus,  in  consequence  of  an  injury  to  the  great  toe. — Amputa- 
tion was  performed  at  the  infirmary  by  Mr.  Morgan.  The 
patient's  name  was  R.  Alexander. 
The  tetanic  symptoms  were  treated  by  the  exhibition  of  five 
grains  of  disulphate  quinine  with  half  a  gram  of  Cannabis  Indica 
every  three  hours  ;  he  consequently  took  forty  grains  of  sulphate 
of  quinine  in  the  period  of  twenty-four  hours. 
The  urine  had  a  greenish-yellow  appearance,  and  upon  stand- 
ing deposited  a  brownish-yellow  sediment ;  it  was  slightly  acid, 
and  had  a  specific  gravity  of  1.032.  The  sediment  examined  by 
the  miscroscope  showed  prisms  and  lozenges  of  uric  acid,  with 
amorphous  urate  of  ammonia. 
The  deposit  treated  upon  the  field  of  the  miscroscope  with 
ammonia  instantly  became  changed ;  the  crystals  of  uric  acid 
were  rendered  more  clearly  defined  in  consequence  of  the  amor- 
phous urates  being  dissolved.  The  phosphate  of  ammonia  and 
magnesia  was  subsequently  deposited  upon  the  side  as  a  cloudy 
mass,  when  seen  by  the  unassisted  vision,  but  as  a  magma  of 
very  minute  radiating  needles  when  magnified  sixty  diameters. 
The  fluid  urine  was  carefully  decanted  from  the  amorphous  and 
crystalline  deposit. 
A.  Half-a-pint  of  this  urine  was  treated  with  liquor  potassse 
until  decidedly  alkaline  ;  it  was  then  repeatedly  agitated  with 
pure  washed  ether ;  the  ethereal  solution  having  been  allowed  to 
separate  by  twelve  hours'  repose,  was  carefully  evaporated  by  a 
^arm  water  bath;  .79  grains  of  extract  was  left. 
