PREPARATIONS  OF  CONIUM  MACULATUM,  ETC. 
271 
effervescenee  from  the  liberation  of  binoxide  of  nitrogen,  and  a 
yellow  liquid  resulted.  When  the  action  was  moderated  by 
spreading  the  fluids  on  a  porcelain  plate,  a  greenish-yellow  or 
bright  green  turbidity  appeared,  and  after  a  few  minutes  bubbles 
of  binoxide  of  nitrogen  began  to  form,  and  the  evolution  con- 
tinued until  the  green  color  was  removed,  and  a  faint  yellowish 
fluid  remained.  Solution  of  nitrate  of  silver  produced  a  dirty 
white  curdy  precipitate,  which  readily  dissolved  in  ammonia. 
When  dried  and  heated,  a  flame  ran  instantly  through  it ;  and 
on  further  heating  the  charred  residue,  only  metallic  silver  re- 
mained. Solution  of  chloride  of  mercury  caused  an  abundant 
white  precipitate,  which,  when  boiled  with  potash,  became  yellow 
and  heavy,  and  evolved  an  alkaline  vapor.  When  heated,  the 
precipitate  blackened,  evolved  mercurial  vapors,  and  ultimately 
disappeared. 
With  solution  of  acetate  of  lead,  the  fluid  gave  a  heavy  drab- 
colored  precipitate.  With  sulphate  of  copper,  a  pale  blue  de- 
posit. Both  precipitates  dissolved  in  dilute  nitric  acid,  the 
former  with  effervescence. 
This  fluid  was  carefully  preserved,  and,  on  December  4th,  I 
took  f  3ss  at  11  a.m.,  and  f  %j  at  5  p.m.  On  December  5th,  I 
took  3ii  at  10:30  a.m.,  and  giij  at  3:30  P.M.  On  the  6th,  I  took 
a  single  doze  of  f  3vj.  On  the  7th,  a  single  dose  of  f  £x.  On 
the  8th,  a  single  close  of  f  ^xij,  and  on  the  9th  a  single  dose  of 
f  Sij.  I  then  subjected  the  remainder  to  the  same  reagents  as 
before,  and  found  that  the  fluid  possessed  the  same  reactions  as 
it  did  on  the  day  I  distilled  it. 
No  effect  followed  any  of  the  doses.  After  taking  the  last 
dose  I  walked  across  the  square  to  church,  and,  during  the  early 
part  of  the  service,  thrice  experienced,  within  as  many  minutes, 
a  momentary  fluttering  in  the  cardiac  region,  such  as  precedes 
faintness,  but  I  could  not  fairly  attribute  it  to  the  conium,  for  I 
awoke  with  a  headache  and  slight  nausea,  and  these  had  not  al- 
together subsided  at  the  time  I  experienced  the  above-mentioned 
sensation.  Of  this  there  was  no  repetition,  the  remainder  of  the 
headache  passed  off,  and  I  was  well  and  active  during  the  rest 
of  the  day.  During  the  prosecution  of  these  experiments  upon 
the  tincture  and  the  distillate  from  the  marc,  I  abstained  from 
alcoholic  or  other  stimulants. 
