Am.  Jour.  Pharm. 
Jan  ,  1890. 
Effects  of  Codeine. 
37 
TV.  Treated  in  solution  with  alkali  chromates,  ferro-  and  ferri- 
cyanides  of  potash,  narceine  appears  to  belong  to  the  weak  opium 
alkaloids. 
The  fact  that  narcotine,  papaverine  and  narceine  can  be  separated 
from  the  acid  as  well  as  from  the  alkaline  solution,  by  shaking 
these  solutions  with  benzol,  chloroform,  etc.,  after  the  method  of 
DragendorfT,  while  the  three  other  opium  alkaloids,  morphine,  codeine 
and  thebaine,  can  be  isolated  only  by  shaking  the  alkaline  solution, 
places  narceine  in  the  group  of  weak  bases. 
Concerning  the  adulteration  of  commercial  narceine  maintained  by 
Laborde,  I,  in  accordance  with  Mr.  Dott,  think  it  highly  improbable 
that  narceine  would  be  sent  out  so  contaminated,  even  with  the  opium 
alkaloids,  morphine  and  codeine,  most  widely  differing  from  narceine. 
Moreover,  several  experiments  on  animals  with  the  different  opium 
bases  make  it  very  difficult  for  me  to  understand  how  the  activity  of 
the  alkaloid  could  be  weakened  by  the  presence  of  morphine  and 
codeine. 
To  conclude,  I  am  of  opinion  that  both  Merck's  impugning  the 
generally  acknowledged  weakness  of  narceine  and  Laborde's  assertion 
concerning  the  impurity  and  consequent  inconstant  therapeutical  action 
of  this  alkaloid  are  not  founded  in  truth. 
The  commercial  hydrochlorate  of  narceine  I  used  for  my  experi- 
ments was  procured  from  E.  Merck  in  Darmstadt  in  1886.  A  care- 
ful investigation  showed  me  that  this  salt  was  pure.  After  combus- 
tion the  platinum  double  salt  gave  14*548  per  cent.  Pt,  while  the 
formula  (C23H29N09,HCl)2PtCl4  contains  14' 563  per  cent.  Pt,  and 
Hesse  found  14*52  per  cent.  Pt.  An  adulteration  with  morphine  or 
codeine,  whose  platinum  double  salts  contain  19*966  resp.  19*048  per 
cent.  Pt,  would,  therefore,  have  been  highly  perceptible  by  largely 
influencing  the  residual  quantity  of  platinum. — Phar.  Jour,  and  Trans., 
Nov.  23,  1889,  p.  401. 
EFFECTS  OF  CODEINE.1 
By  Dr.  G.  Rheiner. 
Dr.  Rheiner  briefly  records  the  therapeutic  effects  of  codeine  in 
thirty-five  patients,  varying  in  age  from  a  few  weeks  to  seventy-five 
1  Therapeutische  Monatshefte,  September  and  October,  1889;  abstracted  by 
D.  J.  Leech;  reprinted  from  The  Medical  Chronicle,  December. 
