286  Pharmacology  of  Cotton  Root  Bark.      {^™-  -^'^May^^'o. 
used  as  a  substitute  for  ergot  by  some  physicians  who  have  claimed 
that  its  action  resembles  that  of  ergot,  and  that  it  has  the  advantage 
over  the  latter  of  being  safer  and  more  stable.  This  use  of  cotton 
root  bark  has  been  very  largely  of  an  empirical  nature,  for  very  little 
experimental  work  on  animals  has  been  reported  and  the  most  of 
this  has  seemed  unfavorable  to  the  use  of  the  drug.  The  majority 
of  the  clinical  reports  have  also  seemed  unfavorable.  At  a  com- 
paratively recent  date,  however,  J.  C.  Scott  published  a  favorable 
report  regarding  the  action  on  the  cat's  uterus.^  This  author  states 
that  "gossypii  cortex  is  stable  and  very  active."  In  the  two  experi- 
ments which  he  reports,  one  on  the  isolated  and  one  on  the  intact 
uterus,  he  seems  to  have  used  a  powdered  extract  of  the  root  bark 
suspended  in  Ringer's  solution,  which,  in  the  case  of  the  isolated 
uterus  was  applied  directly  to  the  organ,  and  in  the  case  of  the  intact 
uterus  was  apparently  given  intramuscularly.  It  became  of  interest, 
therefore,  to  know  more  about  the  activity  of  cotton  root  bark,  as 
compared  with  that  of  ergot  in  particular,  and  to  some  extent  with 
that  of  pituitary  extract.  It  became  of  interest,  also,  to  learn 
whether  or  not  there  was  any  distinct  difference  in  activity  between 
the  "green"  and  the  "dried"  bark  of  commerce,  and  whether  or  not 
drug  collected  at  the  time  of  flowering  would  be  more  active  than  the 
commercial  drug  which  is,  in  either  the  case  of  the  "green"  or  the 
"dried,"  collected  after  the  cotton  is  harvested,  and  further,  whether 
or  not  different  varieties  of  the  cotton  plant  would  show  any  distinct 
difference  in  activity.  The  purpose  of  this  work  was  to  gain  more 
definite  knowledge  regarding  these  points. 
MATERIAL. 
Several  commercial  samples  of  "green"  and  "dried"  root  bark 
were  tested,  and  in  addition,  samples  of  thirteen  different  varieties 
of  the  cotton  plant.  The  latter  were  carefully  collected  at  the  time 
of  flowering.  They  were  obtained  by  Mr.  F.  A.  Miller,  of  our  bo- 
tanical department,  from  the  Georgia  Agricultural  Experiment 
Station.  Fluidextracts  or  modified  fluidextracts  of  the  drug,  only, 
were  tested.  Aqueous  suspensions  of  powdered  extract  were  not  em- 
ployed. A  part  of  the  commercial  "dried"  barks  were  extracted 
with  a  menstruum  of  alcohol  and  glycerin,  3  to  i,  and  a  part  with 
75%  alcohol.  The  "green"  barks  were  extracted  with  the  alcohol- 
glycerin,  and  the  thirteen  samples  were  extracted  with  75%  alcohol. 
Fluidextracts  of  ergot  were  used  for  comparison.    These  were 
