456  Toxic  Principle  of  Pyrethrum  Flowers.  {AmseXSarm' 
over  3  per  cent,  in  oxygen,  between  each  member  of  this  group  of 
alkaloids  of  leguminous  plants.  Furthermore,  their  physiological 
action,  as  far  as  we  are  capable  of  judging,  seems  to  become  more 
powerful  as  the  percentage  of  carbon  decreases ;  the  dose  of  spar- 
teine sulphate  being  01  gram,  and  that  of  eserine  sulphate  0-003 
gram,  and  intermediate  to  these  are  cytisine  and  ulexine.  They 
likewise  become  more  unstable  in  the  same  order,  thus :  Sparteine 
may  with  care  be  distilled  unchanged ;  cytisine  may,  we  are  told, 
be  sublimed,  yielding  splendid  crystals;  but  ulexine  becomes  red 
on  continued  exposure  to  air,  and  rapidly  decomposes  at  a  temper- 
ature a  little  above  its  melting  point.  Eserine  is  still  more  unstable, 
its  decomposition  product  (rubreserine)  having  been  examined  and 
described,  and  it  is  entirely  decomposed  at  ioo°  C. 
We  do  not  know  that  any  special  relationships  exist  between 
nicotine  and  the  other  alkaloids  we  have  mentioned,  but  it  is  a 
singular  fact  that  the  formula  we  have  given  to  ulexine  only  differs 
from  that  of  nicotine  by  CO,  and  that  if  the  formula  usually  ascribed 
to  eserine  be  multiplied  by  two  and  that  of  nicotine  by  three  the 
difference  is  04.  The  elements  of  water  added  to  the  formula  for 
ulexine  give  us  the  formula  for  pilocarpine,  and  these  alkaloids  have 
a  physiological  likeness,  although  quite  different  in  their  behavior 
to  chemical  reagents. 
We  are  at  present  engaged  on  the  preparation  of  cytisine,  and 
hope  soon  to  be  able  to  report  the  results  of  our  examination  of  this 
alkaloid. 
London,  June,  1890. 
THE  TOXIC  PRINCIPLE  OF  PYRETHRUM  FLOWERS.1 
By  Messrs.  Schlagdenhauffen  and  Reeb. 
The  authors  having  been  for  some  time  occupied  in  a  pharmaco- 
logical and  chemical  investigation  of  pyrethrum  flowers  from  differ- 
ent sources  have  been  induced  by  the  publication  of  Hirschsohn's 
paper  upon  the  subject  (see  Pharm.  Journ.,  May  3,  p.  892)  to  make 
known  their  results,  so  far  as  they  apply  to  the  toxic  principle. 
A  quantity  of  250  grams  of  powdered  pyrethrum  flowers  was 
distilled  in  a  current  of  steam  until  750  grams  of  aqueous  distillate, 
1  Journal  der  Pharmacie  von  Elsass-Lothringen,  June,  p.  123.  Reprinted 
f  o  11  Phar.Jour.  and  Trans.,  July  26. 
