366  PREPARATIONS  OF  CONIUM,  ETC. 
and  a  half  after  taking  the  dose  they  had  wholly  passed  off, 
leaving  her  in  her  usual  health. 
A  third  sample  was  kindly  forwarded  to  me  by  Messrs  J.  Bell 
and  Co.  The  sp.  g.  of  this  preparation  was  intermediate  be- 
tween that  of  the  first  and  second  samples,  viz.  1005.  It  con- 
tained less  albumen  than  either.  In  all  other  respects  it  agreed 
with  the  other  samples,  and  furnished  the  reactions  above  men- 
tioned.   It  was  prepared  June  3,  1863. 
Dec.  28. — N.  D.,  a  rather  delicately-constituted  young  woman, 
took  f^ij  of  this  Succus.  No  efforts  followed,  but  she  vomited 
an  hour  afterwards.    This  was  probably  due  to  other  causes. 
Dec.  29. — Took.f^iv.  About  twenty  minutes  afterwards  she 
experienced  nausea,  and  became  giddy  and  unable  to  walk.  An 
hour  after  taking  the  dose  there  was  nearly  complete  muscular 
paralysis,  the  eyelids  were  closed,  and  the  pupils  widely  dilated. 
The  mind  was  perfectly  calm,  clear,  and  active,  and  she  tried 
without  success  to  raise  her  eyelids  when  I  requested  her  to  do 
so ;  the  pulse  and  respiration  were  normal.  The  former  had 
been  accelerated  at  the  outset  of  the  symptoms.  The  surface 
was  warm.  The  maximum  effect  was  produced  about  an  hour 
after  taking  the  medicine.  She  remained  in  the  state  above  de- 
scribed about  three-quarters  of  an  hour.  The  symptoms  then 
subsided  almost  as  rapidly  as  they  came  on,  and  three  hours 
after  taking  the  dose  she  was  able  to  walk  about  as  actively  as 
ever,  and  attend  to  her  duties.  Next  day,  she  complained  of  a 
slight  pain  in  the  legs. 
From  the  above  investigations,  it  is  conclusive  that  the  Succus 
of  the  British  Pharmacopoeia  possesses  in  an  eminent  degree  the 
poisonous  properties  of  the  hemlock.  The  experiments  with  the 
third  sample  are  peculiarly  valuable,  as  they  show  that  the  prep- 
aration undergoes  no  change  by  keeping.  Having  thus  distin- 
guished the  Succus  from  the  inert  tinctures,  I  trust  that  these 
will  henceforth  be  excluded  from  the  Pharmacopoeias,  and  that 
medical  practitioners  will  rely  solely  upon  the  Succus,  which,  in 
the  compactness  of  the  dose  required,  in  absence  of  any  objec- 
tionable taste  and  odor,  and  in  the  potency  and  certainty  of  its 
operation,  leaves  nothing  to  be  desired. 
As  a  substitute  for  the  Cataplasma  Conn,  P.  B.,  a  piece  of 
