Am,  Jour.  Pharni.  \ 
April,  1882.  j 
The  Ptomaines, 
157 
separating,  yellowish  precipitate;  with  hydriodic  acid  containing 
iodine  a  yellowish-red  precipitate  and  brown  drops;  with  platinic 
chloride  a  yellowish  powder,  that  even  after  several  hours  did  not 
become  crystalline  ;  auric  chloride  gave  a  yellowish  precipitate,  and  in 
a  short  time  reduction  ensued  ;  mercuric  chloride  and  potassio-mer curie 
iodide  gave  yellowish-white  precipitates ;  potassio-hismuthic  iodide  an 
orange-yellow  precipitate,  changing  to  red  ;  picric  acid  a  non-crystal- 
line, and  potassium  bichromate  a  reddish-yellow  precipitate. 
This  alkaloid  also  contained  arsenic  and,  according  to  the  experi- 
iments  made  by  Prof.  Ciaccio  on  frogs,  possessed  a  poisonous  action 
which,  however,  was  different  from  the  strychnine-like  action  of  the- 
volatile  arsine  and  was  connected  with  the  ordinary  action  of  the  poi- 
sonous ptomaines.  Torpor,  paralysis  and  systolic  inactivity  of  the 
heart  were  the  most  prominent  phenomena. 
The  communicated  research  of  Selmi  throws  light  upon  one  of  the 
darkest  portions  of  the  history  of  toxicology,  to  the  time  of  Toffa 
and  other  professional  poison  mixers,  who  understood  rendering  the 
activity  of  arsenious  acid  to  a  certain  extent  more  potent.  With  the 
"Aqua  tofPana,'^  the  so-called  "Acquetta  di  Perugia"  played  at  the 
same  time  in  Italy  a  not  insignificant  part.  According  to  the  tradi- 
tion, this  secret  compound  of  the  poison  mixers  of  the  17th  and  18th 
centuries  was  prepared  by  killing  a  hog,  disjointing  the  same,  strewing 
the  pieces  with  white  arsenic,  which  was  afterwards  rubbed  in,  and 
collecting  the  arsenical  liquid  which  dropped  therefrom.  A  liquid 
obtained  in  this  way  was  said  to  have  possessed  a  much  more  poison- 
ous action  than  a  simple  solution  of  arsenious  anhydride.  There  can 
be  no  doubt  that  by  the  longer  preservation  of  pork  or  any 
other  kind  of  meat,  peculiar  arsines  were  formed,  and  impart  to  the 
arsenical  brine  poisonous  properties  which  surpass  those  of  the  arseni- 
ous acid,  at  least  when  applied  in  the  solid  form.  It  must  also  be 
considered  that  by  this  process  compounds  of  arsenious  acid  with  inor- 
ganic alkalies  are  also  undoubtedly  formed,  which  are  more  readily 
absorbed  than  the  arsenious  acid,  and  that  the  respective  procedure 
had  for  its  purpose  to  bring  the  largest  possible  amount  of  arsenious 
acid  into  solution.  The  same  object  was  presumably  in  view  by  the 
preparation  of  the  Aqua  tofiana  witli  the  addition  of  a  plant  juice,  for  * 
which  as  is  known  that  of  Linaria  Cymbalaria  was  added.  Selmi  and. 
Vella  presume  that  through  the  Acquetta  di  Perugia  the  concealment 
of  the  action  of  the  arsenic  on  the  one  hand  and  of  the  tetanic  poisons 
