AmAuguUst'  i9hiim'}     Criticism  of  U.  S.  Pharmacopoeia,  345 
the  lack  of  chemical  knowledge  concerning  the  substance  with 
which  they  were  working  and  we  can  readily  understand  why  they 
obtained  varying  and  sometimes  contradictory  results. 
Konigshoefer30  reported  that  the  effect  of  atroscine  (i-scopo- 
lamine) upon  the  accommodation  takes  place  with  greater  rapidity 
and  is  of  longer  duration  than  in  the  case  of  scopolamine  (1- 
scopolamine).  Under  pathological  conditions  (iritis)  he  also  found 
its  action  to  be  the  more  energetic. 
Meyer  confirmed31  the  latter  finding,  but  stated  that  he  could  not 
agree  with  Konigshoefer  with  respect  to  the  action  on  the  accommoda- 
tion. 
Uhthoff  and  Axenfeld32  could  find  no  difference  in  the  physiologi- 
cal action  of  scopolamine  hydrobromide  having  a  specific  rotatory 
power  of  — 25. 430  and  that  having  specific  rotatory  power  of 
—  6.620. 
In  more  recent  years  the  work  has  been  taken  up  with  a  greater 
knowledge  of  the  chemistry  of  the  isomers  and  under  more  ad- 
vantageous conditions,  with  the  result  that  real  differences  in  their 
physiological  activity  have  been  found  and  clearly  described. 
Cushny  and  Peebles33  found : 
(a)  That  the  action  of  1-scopolamine  on  the  terminations  of  the 
secretory  nerves  in  the  salivary  glands  and  on  the  terminations  of 
the  inhibitory  fibres  of  the  heart  was  double  that  of  i-scopolamine 
in  effect;  from  which  they  inferred  that  a  similar  ratio  might  hold 
in  other  analogous  terminations. 
(b)  That  1-  and  i-scopolamine  produce  the  same  effect  in  a  like 
degree  upon  the  central  nervous  system  in  man  and  mammals  and 
on  the  terminations  of  the  motor  nerves  in  the  frog. 
E.  Hug,34  from  a  series  of  experiments  On  dogs  and  cats,  con- 
cluded : 
(a)  That  the  action  of  1-scopolamine  on  the  vagus  is  three  to 
four  times  as  great  in  strength  as  that  of  i-scopolamine. 
(b)  That  1-scopolamine  acts  twice  as  energetically  as  i-scopo- 
lamine upon  the  oculomotorius. 
Evidence  to  the  effect  that  a  difference  in  the  physiological  action 
30  Cited  by  Hesse,  Ber.  d.  deubsch.  chem.  Gcs.  (1896),  27,  p.  1781. 
31  Cited  by  E.  Schmidt,  Arch.  d.  Phar,  (1897),  236,  p.  71. 
32  Cited  by  L.  Merck,  Pharm.  Journ.  (1897),  71,  p.  41, 
33  Joum.  of  Physiol.  (1905),  32,  pp.  501-510. 
34  Arch.  f.  exp.  Path.  u.  Pharmak.  (1912),  69,  p.  56. 
