1 50       Preparation  and  Toxic  Effects  of  Ge/semia.  {^J3f'1g£,m 
the  body  with  five  centigrams  of  the  active  principle  of  joyote  dissolved 
in  a  small  quantity  of  alcohol.  In  fifty  minutes  he  had  diaphragmatic 
respiration  and  mucous  vomiting.  From  that  time  until  an  hour  after- 
wards the  vomiting  continued  with  great  effort  and  grumbling,  phlegm 
or  bile  in  small  quantity  being  thrown  up,  the  respiration  continuing 
diaphragmatic.  In  ninety  minutes  was  seized  with  a  strong  general 
tetanic  convulsion  of  about  half  a  minute's  duration,  followed  by  relaxa- 
tion and  general  clonical  convulsion  lasting  three  minutes,  and  death. 
No  stupor,  narcotism,  signs  of  delirium  or  paralysis  took  place  ;  had 
no  diarrhoea,  no  alteration  of  the  pupil  was  observed. 
From  this  it  may  be  inferred  :  1st.  That  the  thevetosin  is  very 
venomous.  2d.  That  it  has  a  violent  emetic  action  depending  upon  the 
nervous  system,  like  tartar.  3d.  That  it  acts  on  the  respiration,  making 
it  difficult  by  paralysis,  more  and  more  complete  on  the  external  muscles 
of  respiration.  Judging  from  that,  the  tetanic  convulsions  followed 
by  the  clonical  that  preceded  death,  were  the  effects  of  asphyxia 
caused  immediately  from  perlesia. 
These  experiments,  made  on  different  kinds  of  animals,  prove  that 
the  emetic  action  of  the  different  products  of  the  joyote  seeds  is  con- 
stant in  all  animals  that  can  vomit  ;  that  the  muscular  system  of 
respiration  becomes  paralytic,  and  that  this  paralysis  can  extend  in  some 
cases  to  the  other  muscles.  Thevetosin,  acting  so  powerfully  upon 
the  animal  economy,  may  probably  become  of  importance,  and  be  em- 
ployed more  advantageously  than  curare. 
NOTES  ON  THE  PREPARATION  AND  TOXIC- 
EFFECTS  OF  GELSEMIA. 
By  Theo.  G.  Wormley,  M.D. 
In  a  former  number  of  this  journal  (Jan.,  1870)  we  showed  that 
Gelsemium  serpervirens  contained  an  organic  acid,  geheminic  acid^  z\v\  a 
mtrogenized  basic  principle  or  alkaloid,  gelsemia,  to  the  latter  of  which 
the  plant  owes  its  activity. 
The  method  there  pointed  out  for  the  preparation  of  these  two 
principles  was  to  concentrate  the  fluid  extract  of  the  root  (containing 
the  soluble  matter  of  480  grains  of  the  root  to  the  fluidounce)  to 
'According  to  the  recent  researches  of  Dr.  C.  A.  Robbins,  made  in  the  labora- 
tory of  Sonnenschein,  in  Berlin,  this  principle  is  identical  with  tesculin. 
