504  Strychnia  with  certain  Saline  Solutions,  {Amo]ctu!'J^rm' 
rather  incidental,  advantages.  One  of  these  is  that  a  considerable 
heat  is  produced  by  the  action  of  the  water  on  the  fused  potassa,  which 
aids  solution  ;  the  other  consists  in  the  readiness  with  which  the  arse- 
nious  acid  may  be  triturated  with  the  concentrated  solution  of  potassa. 
This  is  due  to  the  "  syrupy  "  consistence  of  the  liquid,  and  as  solution 
rapidly  progresses,  the  viscidity  increasing  makes  the  admixture  quite 
an  easy  matter.  It  will  present  a  great  contrast  in  this  respect  to  the 
behavior  of  the  arsenious  acid  in  former  processes. 
NOTE  on  the  INCOMPATIBILITY  of  STRYCHNIA  with 
certain  SALINE  SOLUTIONS. 
By  A.  B.  Lyons,  M.D. 
The  solubility  of  the  various  salts  of  so  powerful  a  remedy  as 
strychnia  ought  to  be  familiarly  known  to  all  physicians  and  pharmacists. 
I  find,  however,  that  the  text-books  in  common  use  are  remarkably 
reticent  on  the  subject.  That  the  sulphate  of  strychnia  is  preferred 
to  the  alkaloid  itself,  on  account  of  its  greater  solubility,  and  that  the 
iodide  of  strychnia  is  a  salt  sparingly  soluble  in  water,  are  about  the 
only  facts  elicited  by  consulting  Wood  and  Bache. 
My  attention  was  directed  to  the  subject  by  a  case  of  accidental  poi- 
soning by  strychnia,  which  lately  came  to  my  knowledge.  The  cir- 
cumstances were  these  :  A  lady  had  been  taking  medicine  from  a  bottle 
prepared  after  the  following  prescription: 
R        Pot.  brom.,  .  .  .  .  ^ii 
Strichniae  {sic),  ....  gr.  ii 
Syp.  auranti. 
Aqua  dist.  [sic),    .  .  .  .  .ad  £iv 
M.      Sig.  A  teaspoonful  every  4  hours. 
No  disagreeable  effects  had  been  produced  by  the  medicine,  of  which, 
if  I  am  rightly  informed,  she  had  already  taken  up  one  full  bottle. 
Soon  after  swallowing  the  last  dose,  however,  from  this  bottle,  she 
was  attacked  with  spasms,  and  exhibited  all  the  symptoms  of  poisoning 
by  strychnia.  On  examining  the  glass  from  which  the  medicine  had 
been  taken,  and  which  had  been  afterwards  filled  with  water,  I  found  a 
much  larger  proportion  of  strychnia  than  should  have  remained  adher- 
ing to  the  glass,  had  it  been  in  solution  in  the  proportion  called  for  by 
the  prescription,  viz.  :   about  1  :  1800.    Evidently,  a  portion  of  the 
