344 
ConstikienU  of  Gehemium  Sempervirens. 
f  Am.  Jour.  Pharm, 
\      July, 1882. 
The  application  of  electricity  has  in  several  instances  proved  very  bene- 
ficial. In  others,  the  use  of  morphine  hypodermically  has  been 
attended  Avith  good  results. 
Chemical  Analysis. — In  gelsemium  poisoning  the  gelsemic  acid  and 
the  alkaloid  are  both  absorbed,  and  enter  the  blood  apparently- in  the 
proportion  in  which  they  are  found  in  the  plant.  Hence,  in  poisoning 
by  the  drug,  it  becomes  necessary  to  direct  the  examination  for  the 
absorbed  poison  to  the  recovery  of  both  these  principles.  This  is  the 
more  important,  since  the  acid  is  apparently  not  much  less  poisonous 
than  the  alkaloid,  and  so  readily  reveals  its  presence  by  its  fluorescent 
properties. 
The  general  method  for  the  recovery  of  strychnine  and  like  sub- 
stances from  the  blood  and  tissues  is  about  equally  applicable  for  the 
recovery  of  the  gelsemium  principles.  As  these  substances  are  readily 
soluble  both  in  ether  and  chloroform,  either  of  these  liquids  may  be 
employed  for  the  extraction.  The  gelsemic  acid  would,  of  course,  be 
found  in  the  ether  extract  from  the  prepared  solution,  while  it  still 
had  an  acid  reaction ;  whilst  the  alkaloid  would  be  extracted  from  the 
solution  after  it  had  been  rendered  alkaline. 
In  applying  the  tests  for  gelsemic  acid  to  the  ether  residue  from  the 
acid  sohition  it  should  be  remembered  that  although  the  reaction  of 
the  nitric  acid  and  ammonia  test  is  common  to  gelsemic  acid  and 
sesculin,  yet  w^hen  obtained  from  an  ether  extract,  it  is  characteristic  of 
the  former  substance,  since  ?esculin  is  not  extracted  by  ether. 
The  blood  and  liver  of  a  cat  which  had  been  killed,  after  several 
hours,  by  the  drug,  were  examined,  in  the  main,  after  this  general 
method.  The  first  ether  extract,  in  both  instances,  was  distinctly  fluo- 
rescent, and  on  evaporation  left  the  gelsemic  acid,  in  part  at  least,  in 
its  crystalline  state.  The  true  nature  of  these  crystals  was  readily 
established  by  the  appropriate  tests.  So,  also,  about  equally  satisfac- 
tory evidence  of  the  presence  of  gelsemine  was  obtained  from  the  ether 
residues  from  the  alkaline  solutions.  , 
As  a  conclusion  from  these  and  other  similar  results,  it  would 
appear  that  in  gelsemium  poisoning  evidence  of  the  presence  of  the 
poison  in  the  blood  may  be  more  readily  and  fully  obtained  than  in  the 
c^is^  of  any  of  the  other  vegetable  poisons. 
Philadelphia,  June,  1882. 
