6S 
ON OIL OF COPAIVA. 
the bowels, but merely caused nausea, and in larger doses, 
vomiting. In large doses of 60 grs., it appeared to operate 
as a diuretic, and could be detected after a short time in the 
urine, in consequence of the color which it assumes on the 
addition of potash. The so-called cathartin, in doses of 
two-and-a-half to three drachms, caused only nausea and 
disagreeable eructation, without operating upon the bowels. 
These experiments tend to show, that the individual 
constituents, extracted by spirit of wine from the senna 
leaves, as well as their aggregate, do not purge. The 
authors, however, doubt the statement of Heerlein, that 
spirit of wine only extracts from the leaves macerated in it 
inert substances, and none of the active principle. The 
final result to which they are led by their examinations is, 
that odor, taste, relation to chemical agents, and medicinal 
powers of senna, depend chiefly on the co-operation of the 
extractive matter and the resin, and only in a subordinate 
degree on the pectin, the pectates, and the other salts of the 
leaves. No share in the activity can be ascribed to the 
volatile oil, as no appreciable quantity of it can be pro- 
cured. — Pharmaceutical Journal, from Pharm. Central 
Blatt.filr 1849, JYo. 8. 
ART. XVII. — ON OIL OF COPAIVA. 
By C. C. MlTSCKERLICH. 
Mitseherlich has made a number of experiments with the 
oil of copaiva, and found that the effects of it are similar to, 
but much milder than, those of the oil of lemon and turpen- 
tine. Oil of copaiva is, of all the volatile oils yet examined, 
the feeblest poison, for though from six drachms to one 
ounce of it introduced into the stomach of rabbits caused 
in full-grown rabbits considerable illness it did not produce 
death. Young animals died within from 11 to 2S hours 
from one ounce. 
