Am.  Jour.  Pliarni.  \ 
Aug.,  1881.  j 
Illiclum  Rcllgiosum,  Constituents. 
411 
for  some  time,  showed  under  the  microscope  crystals,  among  which 
rhombicplates  occurred. 
Illicium  Religiosum.    I  and  IT,  Crystals  of  Sikiniiii. 
The  entire  quantity  (1*5  gram)  of  amorphous  substance  M-a?  there- 
fore treated  with  hydrochloric  acid  and  placed  in  an  exsiccator.  The 
next  day  several  wart-formed  crystalline  agglomerations  had  separated. 
Of  these  some  were  removed  from  the  liquid  and  dissolved  in  boiling 
water  and  the  filtrate,  mixed  with  flesh  and  rice,  given  to  a  large  dog. 
After  ten  minutes  the  ordinary  symptoms  were  manifested ;  the 
stomach  and  duodenum'  were  completely  emptied  by  vomiting,  but  the 
dog  died  nevertheless,  after  strong  convulsions,  within  an  hour  and  a 
half. 
The  crystals  consequently  appear  to  contain  the  poison  in  a  purer 
condition  ;  but  as  thev  were  still  a  little  yellow  they  had  to  be  sub- 
mitted  to  a  further  purification.  Nearly  the  entire  remainder  of  the 
crystals  was  used,  in  order  to  obtain  through  repeated  recrystallization 
from  Avater  a  sufficient  quantity  of  perfectly  colorless  crystals  for 
physiological  experiment. 
About  12  milligrams  of  the  crystals  given  to  a  young  dog  produced 
death  after  three  hours.    The  crystalline  principle  was  named  sihimin. 
The  crystals  are  hard,  heavy,  dissolve  with  difficulty  in  cold  water, 
better  in  hot  water,  ether  and  chloroform,  easily  in  alcohol  and  glacial 
acetic  acid,  do  not  dissolve  in  petroleum  spirit,  nor  in  alkalies 
markedly  better  than  in  water.  *  They  do  not  reduce  alkaline  cupric 
solution,  even  at  boiling  temperature,  nor  after  boiling  with  dilute 
sulphuric  acid.  The  still  somewhat  impure  crystals  melt  at  about 
175°C.    If  heated  more  strongly  they  become  red-brown  and  diffuse 
