540 
Action  of  Sulphurous  Acid. 
Am.  Jour.  Pbarm. 
Nov.,  1891. 
quantity  in  belladonna  and  in  stramonium,  and  in  some  specimens 
of  the  leaves  of  Duboisia  the  mydriatic  alkaloid  was  found  to  be 
largely  this  alkaloid,  while  in  other  specimens  largely  hyoscyamine 
was  found. — Ernst  Schmidt,  Apotheker  Ztg.,  1891,  522. 
The  oils  of  cinnamon  leaves  and  roots. — The  oil  of  the  leaves  con- 
sists essentially  of  eugenol  with  traces  of  cinnamic  aldehyde  and 
small  quantities  of  terpenes.  The  oil  of  the  roots  contains  a  large 
quantity  of  eugenol,  considerable  quantities  of  terpenes  and  safrol 
and  a  minute  quantity  of  benzaldehyde.- — J.  Weber,  Apotheker  Ztg.r 
1 891 ,  522. 
THE  ACTION  OF  SULPHUROUS  ACID  ON  THE 
ECONOMY. 
The  importance  of  a  knowledge  of  the  effects  of  sulphurous 
acid  on  the  human  organism  has  been  of  late  very  much  increased 
by  the  frequency  with  which  this  agent  is  now  employed  for  the 
preservation  of  wine  and  vegetables.  It  is  known  that  after  animals 
have  been  poisoned  by  breathing  air  impregnated  with  sulphurous 
acid,  the  highly  irritating  properties  of  the  gas  are  manifested  by 
the  injected  state  of  the  blood-vessels  of  the  mucous  membrane  of 
the  respiratory  tract  where  the  sulphurous  acid  has  come  in  contact 
with  it,  the  blood  of  the  viscera  being  found  dark  and  coagulated. 
Also  that  animals  that  are  not  killed  recover  very  rapidly,  but  after 
a  few  days  show  signs  of  bronchitis  and  pneumonia,  and  die.  The 
subject  has  recently  been  examined  by  Dr.  L.  Pfeiffer,  who  in  some 
experiments  employed  sulphurous  acid  in  the  form  of  neutral  sul- 
phite of  sodium,  and  not  in  the  free  state,  so  as  to  avoid  the  caustic 
action.  He  found  that  both  warm  and  cold-blooded  animals 
recovered  very  rapidly  from  an  almost  moribund  condition,  which 
showed  that  there  must  be  either  very  rapid  elimination  or  a 
chemical  change  into  some  harmless  substance.  Experiments 
instituted  with  the  object  of  elucidating  this  point  showed  that  96-5 
per  cent,  of  the  sulphite  was  eliminated  by  the  kidneys  as  sulphate, 
the  remaining  3-5  per  cent,  only  as  sulphite.  When  a  large  quan- 
tity of  sulphite  had  been  administered  it  was  nearly  all  eliminated 
in  five  hours.  Dr.  Pfeiffer  believes  that  when  vegetable  feeders  are 
made  to  breathe  air  containing  free  sulphurous  acid  for  some  con- 
siderable time,  a  reduction  of  the  alkalinity  of  the  blood  is  induced. 
In  animals  breathing  air  containing  from  one  to  three  parts  of  sui- 
