176        NEW  ALKALOID  FOUND  IN  ACONITUM  NAPELLUS. 
we  have  yet  tried ;  and  although  these  solutions  be  made  in  the 
presence  of  a  large  excess  of  the  base,  they  invariably  redden 
litmus  ;  still,  although  such  be  the  case,  aconella,  weakly  how- 
ever, turns  reddened  litmus-paper  blue ;  for  if  a  faintly  reddened 
piece  of  litmus-paper  be  put  into  a  boiling-hot  spiritous  solution, 
the  blue  color  of  the  test-paper  slowly  but  unmistakably  returns. 
Readily  crystallizable  as  the  alkaloid  itself  is,  we  have  not  yet 
succeeded  in  getting  any  of  its  salts  to  crystallize,  with  the  excep- 
tion of  the  muriate ;  and  even  this  salt  crystallizes  but  slowly. 
If,  however,  the  pure  alkaloid  be  dissolved  in  spirit  by  the  aid 
of  muriatic  acid  in  a  glass  beaker,  and  the  beaker  be  then  set 
aside  uncovered,  at  the  ordinary  temperature,  in  the  course  of  a 
few  days  at  about  an  inch  from  the  surface  of  the  liquid,  a  broad 
ring  of  most  beautifully  delicate  radiated  crystals  make  their 
appearance ;  and  in  some  days  more  the  now  comparatively 
watery  liquid  sets  into  a  mass  of  snow-white,  foggy  tufts, 
arranged  round  the  bottom  of  the  beaker  in  amphitheatre-like 
form,  so  as  to  leave  the  glass  at  the  centre  of  the  bottom  quite 
clear  and  bright. 
From  the  following  additional  proofs  in  connection  with  what 
has  been  already  stated,  there  cannot,  we  think,  be  any  doubt 
that  the  new  substance  must  be  classed  among  the  natural  or- 
ganic alkalies. 
Aconella  does  not  appear  to  have  any  poisonous  quality.  We 
gave  three  decigrammes  to  a  cat,  without  the  production  of  any 
apparent  inconvenience  to  the  animal. 
Its  harmless  character  naturally  suggests  the  question  whether 
the  admittedly  weak  action  of  most  of  the  acomtina  of  commerce 
may  not  arise  from  its  mixture  with  aconella.  Putting  aside  the 
idea  of  intentional  adulteration,  its  inferior  potency  could  very 
well  be  accounted  for  by  the  presence  of  this  substance,  without 
involving  any  imputation  of  blame,  and  only  indicating  ignorance 
of  the  means  to  be  adopted  for  securing  the  purity  of  the  aconi- 
tina. 
As  both  aconitina  and  aconella  are  precipitated  by  alkalies,  it 
is  very  probable  that  this  mixed  precipitate  has  been  accepted 
by  some  operators  as  pure  aconitina.    In  the  process  of  purifica- 
