^  Aug^ust  18S2™'}  Forensic-chemical  Determination  of  Gelsemine.  391 
color,  and  gradually  causes  a  blue  precipitate.    Solution  of  copper  sul- 
phate remains  blue  with  ?esculin,  but  turns  green  with  sesculetin. 
A  solution  of  0*5  gm.  jesculin  in  50  cc.  water  was  given  to  a  cat 
without  producing  abnormal  symptoms  ;  the  acid  urine  let  after  two 
hours  had  a  strong  fluorescence.  Another  cat  took  O'l  gm.  sesculin. 
The  aqueous  solution  of  the  fpeces  of  the  first  aod  second  day  was 
strongly  fluorescent ;  from  the  third  day,  jcsculin  could  not  be  detected. 
The  urine  was  likewise  fluorescent  on  three  days,  but  not  on  the  fourth 
day  until  after  it  was  rendered  alkaline  ;  chloroform  extracted  from  it 
sesculin. 
Subcutaneous  injections  of  sesculin,  '0066  and  '0003  gm.,  were  made 
to  two  frogs,  and  these  were  afterwards  })laced  in  distilled  water,  which 
for  nine  days  became  fluorescent. 
The  author  concludes,  from  these  experiments,  that 
1.  JEsculin  is  without  decided  action  upon  the  animal  organism. 
2.  It  rapidly  enters  the  second  ways  from  the  stomach  and  intes- 
tines. 
3.  It  is  not  decomposed  within  the  body,  and 
4.  Is  rapidly  excreted  through  the  kidneys. 
5.  A  prolonged  time  is  required  for  its  complete  excretion. 
6.  Powdered  assculin  is  partly  eliminated  with  the  fseces,  probably 
owing  to  its  sparing  solubility. 
The  "  animal  quinine  "  obtained  by  Bence  Jones  from  the  kidneys  of 
higher  animals,  which,  however,  has  not  been  observed  by  Dragendorff, 
is  not  fluorescent  in  alkaline  solutions. 
The  experiments  with  the  alkaloid  were  made  Avith  such  })repared 
by  the  author,  and  with  pure  gelsemine  made  by  Merck.  If  merely 
moistened  with  sulphuric  acid  and  then  brought  in  contact  with  a 
minute  drop  of  solution  of  potassium  bichromate,  the  color  produced 
and  the  changes  closely  resemble  those  observed  with  strychnine  ;  but 
if  as  suggested,  by  Robbins,  the  alkaloids  are  dissolved  in  strong  sul- 
phuric acid,  and  the  bichromate  added  to  the  solution,  gelsemine  yields 
a  cherry-red  color,  changing  to  dingy  gray-brown,  and  green  spots  or 
]^treaks  are  not  unfrequently  observed,  due  to  absorption  of  moisture. 
Strychnine  becomes  violet-blue,  then  cherry-red,  finally  brick-  red,  the  lat- 
ter color  lasting  more  than  a  day.  Quebrachine  becomes  slowly  violet- 
blue,  and,  after  a  longer  time,  acquires  a  red  tint ;  but,  if  dissolved  in  tri- 
hydrated  sulphuric  acid,  no  reaction  is  observed  with  j)otassium 
bichromate,  as  is  also  the  case  with  curarine  ;  but  under  the  same 
