Am.  Jour.  Pharm.^ 
May,  1920.) 
Pharmacology  of  Cotton  Root  Bark. 
303 
Isolated  Uterus  Method. — Fluidextract  of  cotton  root  bark  in  rather 
large  doses  produced  contractions  of  the  isolated,  guinea  pig  uterus. 
A  very  conservative  interpretation  of  the  results  obtained  would 
seem  to  be  that  cotton  root  bark  possesses  decidedly  less  than  Vio 
as  much  activity  as  ergot,  and  decidedly  less  than  Vsoo  as  much  ac- 
tivity as  commercial  pituitary  extract.  In  fact,  when  given  in  doses 
corresponding  to  these  figures,  the  contractions  produced  by  the 
cotton  root  bark  were  not  comparable  to  those  produced  by  the  other 
substances.  Successive  doses  of  cotton  root  bark  produced  smaller 
and  smaller  contractions.  Similarly,  ergot  and  pituitary  extract 
seemingly  did  not  exert  their  usual  effect  after  one  or  more  doses  of 
cotton  root  bark.  The  opposite  effect  was  often  observed  when  any 
of  the  three  substances  was  given  after  ergot  or  pituitary  extract. 
By  this  method,  only  commercial  samples  of  cotton  root  bark 
were  tested.  No  decided  difference  could  be  noted  between  any  of 
these  from  the  results  obtained. 
Alcohol  in  a  dilution  of  i  :  1333,  approximately  the  percentage 
possessed  by  a  i  :  1000  dilution  of  fluidextract  of  cotton  root  bark 
which  in  several  instances  was  found  to  be  active,  caused  contractions 
of  the  isolated  uterus.  A  i  :  100  dilution  of  alcohol  caused,  in  one 
instance,  an  inhibition. 
Intact  Uterus  Method. —The  results  obtained  on  the  intact  uterus 
show  that  cotton  root  bark  possesses  a  slight  action  on  the  uterus  of 
both  the  cat  and  the  rabbit.  The  results  on  the  virgin  rabbit's 
uterus  were  the  most  satisfactory.  These  results  indicate  that  the 
action  of  cotton  root  bark  is  not  comparable  to  that  possessed  by 
ergot.  As  under  the  other  methods,  successive  doses  of  cotton  root 
bark  seem  to  produce  less  and  less  effect,  and  ergot  given  after  cotton 
root  bark  seems  to  produce  less  than  its  usual  effect. 
By  this  method  only  commercial  samples  of  cotton  root  bark  were 
tested.  No  decided  difference  could  be  noted  between  any  of  these 
from  the  results  obtained. 
RECAPITULATION. 
Samples  of  the  root  bark  from  thirteen  different  varieties  of  the 
cotton  plant,  collected  at  flowering,  and  a  number  of  samples  of  com- 
mercial root  bark,  both  "green"  and  "dried,"  were  tested  for  activity 
by  methods  commonly  employed  for  the  assay  of  ergot,  namely, 
the  cock's  comb,  blood  pressure,  and  uterus  methods. 
Large  doses  produced  a  very  slight  bluing  of  the  cock's  comb  in 
