224  Analytical  Researches  and  Incestigations.  {"^'"£^1882"^"' 
Iodine  in  potassium  iodide  and  the  double  iodide  of  bismuth  and 
potassium,  produced  brown  precipitates.  Picric  acid,  phospho-molyb- 
date  of  sodium,  and  tannin  produced,  likewise,  abundant  precipitates^ 
Pottassium  ferricyanide,  in  contact  with  ferric  chloride,  gave  rise  to  the 
formation  of  Prussian-blue.  Its  hypodermic  injection  produced  in  the 
frog  a  stupefying  eiFect,  but  w^ithout  causing  death. 
These  characters  agree  with  those  of  the  ptomaines ;  and  the  author 
concludes  from  the  above  reactions,  that  shell-fish  contain  bodies- 
analogous  to  the  vegetable  alkaloids. 
As  to  their  origin,  the  author  considers  it  difficult  from  the  prelim- 
inary experiments  to  attribute  their  formation  to  a  division  of  the 
albuminoid  matters  of  the  tissue,  for  nothing  peremptorily  demon- 
strates it  ]  one  would  be  able  to  refer  them  perhaps  to  a  transformation 
of  the  alimentary  bodies. 
It  would  not  be  without  interest  to  examine  whether  the  production 
of  ptomaines  in  animals  is  more  abundant  under  certain  physiological 
conditions  than  in  others,  or  whether  the  toxic  action  of  these  bodies  i& 
more  pronounced  in  summer  than  in  winter.  It  is  in  order  to  eluci- 
date this  question  that  the  author  proposes  to  return  again  to  the 
subject,  after  having  investigated  the  reason,  Avhich  is  still  the  subject 
of  controversy,  why  the  consumption  of  oysters  and  mussels  at  certain 
seasons  of  the  year  is  attended  with  danger. — Journ.  de  Pharm. 
d^ Alsace-Lorraine,  March,  1882,  pp.,  53 — 55. 
TAe  Veno7n  of  Human  Saliva. — Gautier,  as  stated  in  the  preceding 
article,  has  made  the  very  interesting  observation  that  the  venom  of 
serpents  only  appears  to  differ  from  human  saliva,  by  the  intensity  of 
its  effects,  rather  than  by  its  nature,  and  it  is  therefore  not  unreason- 
able that  particular  danger  is  generally  attributed  to  the  bite  of  a  man. 
Gautier  has  demonstrated  his  assertions  as  follows :  20  grams  of 
normal  saliva  were  evaporated  in  a  bath  of  salt  water ;  after  lixivia- 
tion  and  successive  clarification  there  remained  in  the  capsule  a 
product  resembling  an  alkaloid,  and  weighing,  for  the  amount  of 
material  indicated,  10  centigrams.  A  solution  of  this  substance, 
injected  under  the  skin  of  a  bird,  produced  remarkably  toxic  effects. 
Almost  immediately  after  the  injection  the  bird  was  seized  with 
trembling,  staggered,  and  fell  to  the  earth  in  a  state  of  coma,  or  com- 
plete stupor,  which  was  terminated  by  death  in  the  course  of  half 
an  hour,  or  one  hour  after  the  injected  dose  and  following  the  rigor 
of  the  little  animal.    The  phenomena  resembled  completely  those  of 
