THERAPEUTICAL  PROPERTIES  OF  SANGUINARINA,  ETC.  135 
of  ammonia  as  long  as  a  precipitate  falls  ;  decant  and  wash  on  a 
filter,  first  in  water  containing  a  little  ammonia,  and  then  in 
pure  water,  to  get  rid  of  the  ammonia.  Macerate  the  precipitate 
in  alcohol,  filter,  distil  off  three-fourths  of  the  alcohol,  and  pour 
the  remainder  into  eight  times  its  bulk  of  water.  Collect  and 
wash  the  precipitated  sanguinarina. 
The  late  Dr.  William  Tully  carefully  investigated  the  therapeu- 
tical properties  of  the  blood-root.  His  first  paper  was  published 
in  the  New  England  Jour,  of  Medicine  and  Surgery,  vol.  viii.  p. 
106,  1819.  His  second  paper,  or  "  Prize  Essay,"  on  the  same 
subject,  is  an  elaborate  and  exhaustive  article,  detailing  the  ob- 
servations of  himself  and  others  on  its  effects  in  different  diseases. 
(See  Amer,  Med.  Recorder,  vol.  xiii.  p.  23,  1828.) 
In  a  third  article,  (see  Boston  Med.  and  Surg.  Jour.  p.  247, 
1832),  treating  of  the  active  principle,  he  says,  that  sanguinarina 
or  its  tartrate,  given  in  large  doses,  causes  vertigo,  dilatation  of 
the  pupils,  staring  and  protuberance  of  the  eyes,  a  haggard  ex- 
pression, nausea,  coldness  of  the  extremities,  cold  sweats  and 
diminution  of  the  frequency  and  irregularity  of  the  pulse. 
Another  ardent  investigator  of  the  properties  of  our  indige- 
nous plants,  Dr.  W.  Zollickoffer,  of  Maryland,  had  his  attention 
directed,  about  the  same  time  as  Dr.  Tully,  to  the  Sanguinaria 
Canadensis.  He  used  a  saturated  tincture  of  the  root  as  a  tonic, 
in  doses  of  eight  or  ten  drops  three  times  a  day.  In  acute  rheu- 
matism he  gave  beneficially  thirty  drops  of  this  tincture  com- 
bined with  eight  drops  of  laudanum  every  three  hours  until 
nausea  was  induced.  (Philad.  Jour,  of  Medical  and  Physical  Sci- 
ences, vol.  vi.  p.  295,  1823). 
That  it  is  poison'ous  in  large  doses  is  painfully  proved  by  the 
following  fact :  In  July,  1841,  four  persons,  while  engaged  in 
cleaning  the  Apothecary  Department  of  Bellevue  Hospital,  N.  Y. 
found  a  demijohn  containing  the  tincture,  of  which  they  drank 
freely,  mistaking  it  for  liquor.  They  were  all  seized  with  rack- 
ing and  burning  pains  in  the  mouth,  throat,  stomach  and  bowels, 
and  a  tormenting  thirst.  Having  concealed  from  the  physician 
what  they  had  done,  restorative  measures  were  not  resorted  to 
until  too  late,  and  death  ensued  in  each  case  on  the  following  day. 
(Amer.  Jour,  of  Med.  Sci.  p.  506,  Oct.,  1841.) 
