130 
Oil  of  Ranunculus,  Anemonin  and  Cardol.  j -'^ 
'  (       Mar.,  1882. 
POISONING  WITH  OIL  OF  EANUNCUI.U8,  ANEMONIN 
AND  CAKDOL. 
By   Alfred  Basinkk. 
From  a  pamphlet,  entitled :  Die  Vergiftung  mit  Ranunkelol,  Anemonin 
und  Cardol  in  Beziehung  zu  der  Cantharidin  Vergiftung.  Dorpat,  1881. 
Experiments  made  with  the  fresh  herb  of  Ranunculus  sceleratus 
yielded  the  oil  as  a  light  yellow  neutral  liquid  on  agitating  the  aque- 
ous distillate  with  ether  and  evaporating  the  solvent.  The  results 
obtained  by  the  author  are  summarized  as  follows : 
1.  Oil  of  ranunculus  may  be  separated  from  tlie  aqueous  distillate, 
acidulated  with  acetic  acid  by  agitation  with  ether  or  benzol ;  the  oil 
cannot  be  obtained  after  the  aqueous  distillate  has  been  rendered 
alkaline  by  potassa. 
2.  The  oil  may  likewise  be  obtained  by  treating  the  fresh  plant  with 
glacial  acetic  acid  and  agitating  with  benzol.  Thus  prepared  it  is  not 
chemically  pure,  but  has  the  advantage  of  remaining  unaltered  for  a 
longer  time  than  the  distilled  oil,  which  is  readily  converted  into  ane- 
monin and  anemonic  acid. 
3.  If  the  fresh  herb  is  treated  witli  potassa  instead  of  with  acetic 
acid,  the  oil  is  decomposed. 
4.  The  oil  of  ranunculus  cannot,  therefore,  be  isolated  by  Radecki's 
method  for  cantharidin  (treatment  with  potassa,  etc.),  and  cannot  be 
mistaken  for  the  latter. 
5.  In  warm-blooded  animals  the  oil  of  ranunculus  acts  as  an~acrid 
narcotic,  producing,  in  small  doses,  stupor  and  slow  respiration,  in 
larger  doses  also  paralysis  of  the  posterior  and  anterior  extremities, 
and  before  death  convulsions  of  the  entire  body.  The  acrid  action  is 
shown  by  a  corrosive  gastritis  and  by  hyper^emia  of  the  kidneys,  more 
particularly  in  the  cortical  substance.  The  presence  of  the  oil  in  the 
vomited  matter  could  be  proven  by  extraction  with  glacial  acetic  acid 
and  agitation  with  benzol.  The  examination  of  the  urine  and  various 
organs  of  the  poisoned  animal,  which  was  performed  once,  had  a  neg- 
ative result. 
From  the  experiments  with  anemonin  the  following  results  were 
obtained : 
1.  The  rubefacient  action  of  anemonin  is  very  variable,  not  only  in 
different  individuals,  but  applied  on  the  same  person  it  may  produce 
