io8 
Kola  and  Kolanin. 
( Am.  Jour.  Pharru. 
\    February,  1896. 
exhausted  as  rapidly,  even  more  so  than  in  the  normal  state.  The 
drug  kola  acts  upon  the  number  and  intensity  of  the  contractions. 
The  duration  of  the  contractions  is  greater,  the  amplitude  is  larger 
and  longer  sustained.  The  decrease  which  follows  is  in  a  very 
regular  progression.  (DuBoise.) 
Dr.  H.  Marie  has  shown,  by  a  series  of  comparative  tracings,  that 
with  caffeine  the  starting  contractions  are  very  elevating,  but  there 
is  a  sudden  fall  reaching  below  the  starting  point;  while  with 
kola  there  is  a  gradual  elevation,  which  is  continued  until  the  drug 
begins  to  lose  its  influence,  when  the  descent  is  very  regular  and 
gradual  to  the  normal  point.  It  is  characteristic  of  caffeine  and  of 
other  stimulating  drugs  that  there  is  a  depressing  action,  but  there 
is  none  with  kola.  This  has  been  verified  by  Drs.  Smith  and  Leuf, 
who,  in  connection  with  Dr.  Woodbury,  recently  made  some  inter- 
esting studies  of  this  drug.  A  series  of  sphygmograph  tracings 
made  by  them  show  an  undoubted  increase  of  the  pulse  and  heart 
action,  with  no  reaction  thereafter.  Thus  we  can  see  that  the  free 
alkaloids  by  no  means  account  for  the  full  value  of  the  drug.  The 
action  of  the  other  constituents,  save  one  or  two,  has  been  barely 
touched  upon.  The  essential  oil  has  been  defined  as  a  tonic  of  the 
generative  organs.  Whatever  action  or  influences  lie  in  the  sub- 
stances grouped  under  the  head  of  resinous  matter  and  fatty  bodies, 
etc.,  at  present  are  unknown.  In  the  light  of  pharmacology,  one 
constituent,  however,  seems  to  be  far  superior  in  power  and  action 
to  that  of  the  other  alkaloids,  and  gives  the  drug  its  place  and  rank. 
It  is  the  substance  termed  kolanin.  Observers  have  reported  that 
this  substance  separated  from  the  drug  (containing,  of  course,  no 
free  alkaloids)  "  in  very  small  amounts,  increases  the  intensity  and 
duration  of  the  muscular  contractions."  The  amplitude  of  the  con- 
tractions is  preserved  longer  than  with  the  drug  itself.  The  conser- 
vation of  the  muscular  energy  is  in  marked  contrast  with  that  of  the 
alkaloids  separated  from  the  drug,  exercising  a  well-defined  action 
peculiar  to  itself.  Dr.  Edouard  Heckel  strongly  reiterates  and  pro- 
duces a  vast  amount  of  testimony  as  to  the  marked  difference  and 
superiority  between  the  action  of  kolanin  and  that  of  the  free  alka- 
loids from  the  drug,  and  of  the  other  substances  of  this  class. 
Several  other  observations  made  recently  in  this  ,  country 
show  a  very  marked  action  of  this  drug  after  exhaustion  of 
all  the  free  alkaloids.     But,  so  far,  all  our  studies   upon  this 
