Ann.  Jour.  Pharm. "I 
February,  1899.  J 
Pharmacological  Notes. 
91 
"  According  to  experiments  conducted  by  Petteruti  and  Somma 
{11  Policlinic o,  Nos.  10  to  14,  May  to  July,  1894)  far  different  results 
were  obtained  when  the  decoction  was  used  instead  of  the  tincture. 
The  decoction  seemed  to  act  mainly  on  the  stomach  and  intestines, 
promoting  catharsis  and  emesis,  when  emeto-cathartic  action  was 
delayed,  decided  action  on  heart  was  noted  and  a  resultant  increased 
diuresis  and  acceleration  of  heart- beat.  The  tincture  was  found  to 
be  free  from  gastro-intestinal  irritant  effects,  even  when  given  in 
large  doses." 
These  authors  claim  :  "  A  marked  effect  of  the  tincture  is  the  pro- 
duction of  diuresis,  which  is  never  accompanied  with  albuminuria; 
when  albumin  is  present,  it  has  disappeared  after  a  course  of  the 
tincture."  This  latter  statement  is  said  to  confirm  the  same  point 
made  in  Dr.  Dabney's  paper  published  in  1880.  "  Apocynein  being 
soluble  in  boiling  water  and  insoluble  in  dilute  alcohol,  probably 
accounts  for  the  nauseating  effect  of  the  decoction.  Apocynin,  on 
the  other  hand,  is  insoluble  in  boiling  water,  but  soluble  in  alco- 
hol." "  It  will  be  seen,  then,  that  the  two  alkaloids  isolated  in  1883, 
by  Schmiedeberg,  have  different  properties."  Trie  paper  concludes 
with  the  statement  "  that  apocynum  acts  as  a  diuretic  through  its 
cardio-kinetic  action,  and  not  by  irritation  of  renal  epithelium" — a 
view  claimed  in  Dr.  Dabney's  original  paper  on  this  subject. 
J.  L.  D.  M, 
CASTOR-OIL  BEANS. 
A  case  which  was  puzzling,  for  the  reason  that  the  cause  of  death 
was  not  discovered  until  the  coroner's  inquest,  occurred  recently  in 
a  child  aged  4  years.  The  child  was  taken  suddenly  and  violently 
ill,  and  died  in  a  short  time,  the  father  stating  his  belief  that  some 
beans  which  the  child  had  taken  from  an  uprooted  plant  in  a  vacant 
lot  had  poisoned  her.  Upon  investigation,  it  was  found  that  the 
beans  were  taken  from  a  castor-oil  plant,  and  that  they  had  caused 
an  acute  nephritis  from  their  poisonous  and  irritating  action.  Sev- 
eral other  children  were  made  very  ill,  but  no  other  casualties  be- 
yond the  one  mentioned  have  been  recorded  thus  far.— Letter  from 
Philadelphia  to  the  Medical  News,  November  26th.         C.  B.  L. 
POISONING  BY  "  HEADACHE  POWDERS." 
Dr.  Robert  W.  Greenleaf  (Boston  Med.  and  Surg.  Jour.y  October 
13th)  records  the  case  of  a  woman  to  whom  he  was  called  in 
