Am.  Jour.  Pbarm. ) 
April,  1911.  / 
Active  Principle  of  Ergot. 
155 
in  frogs  even  1/32  mg.  induced  convulsions.  However,  Meulen- 
hoif  failed  to  note  these  convulsions.  Kobert  said  distinctly 
that  his  cornutin  was  different  from  the  crystalline  or  amorphous 
ergotinine  of  Tanret  and  that  there  was  no  resemblance  physiol- 
ogically. The  ecbolin  of  Wenzell  was  probably  the  same  as 
Robert's  cornutin. 
Later,  Robert  modified  his  original  view  and  stated  that 
cornutin  would  produce  uterine  movements  in  pregnant  and  non- 
pregnant uteri,  but  in  non-pregnant  animals  the  dose  must  be  large. 
Sphacelenic  acid  produced  uterine  contractions,  tetanic  in  character 
and  associated  with  toxic  symptoms,  while  cornutin  induced  nor- 
mal intermittent  ones.  According  to  Robert  cornutin  acted  on 
the  spinal  centre,  while  sphacelenic  acid  acted  directly  on  the 
uterus.  Cornutin  produced  marked  narrowing  of  the  arteries  of 
uterus.  The  therapeutic  action  of  ergot  was  believed  by  Robert 
to  be  a  resultant  of  the  action  of  both  compounds.  Palm  showed  that 
even  0.005  gm.  of  cornutin  would  produce  bluing  of  the  cock's 
comb  with  dyspnoea.  This  preparation  freed  from  ergotinic 
acid  was  then  introduced  on  the  market  and  used  clinically,*^  as  a 
hemostatic  or  oxytocic,  generally  with  success.  The  work  of 
Robert  was  confirmed  by  Griinfeld  so  far  as  sphacelenic  acid  was 
concerned  and  by  Lentaker  as  to  cornutin.*^  In  Ludwig  and  Savor's 
experiments  the  cornutin  preparation  of  Robert  failed  to  produce 
the  full  characteristic  action  in  cocks,  when  given  in  doses  corre- 
vSponding  to  the  proper  amount  of  ergot,  and  with  them  clinically  the 
results  were  disappointing.^^  Cornutin  (Robert)  has  been  tested 
physiologically  by  Lewitski.  He  found  that  1.5  to  2  mg.  per  kilo 
of  this  preparation  caused  abortion  in  animals  in  the  later  stages 
of  pregnancy.  He  also  reported  favorable  clinical  use  without  toxic 
symptoms.  Robert's  views  were  mainly  upheld  by  his  pupils. 
According  to  him,  no  ergot  retained  its  therapeutic  powers  over 
twelve  months. 
Robert's  change  of  view  would  suggest  that  he  was  dealing  with 
a  chemically  impure  body.  Tanret  considered  Robert's  cornutin 
a  partially  altered  ergotinine. Robert  finally  summed  up  his  work 
by  saying  that  there  was  an  inactive  and  an  active  modification 
of  the  ergot  alkaloid ;  the  active  one  he  believed  was  cornutin 
and  the  inactive  one  was  the  crystalline  ergotinin  of  Tanret. 
Reller's  work  was  based  on  the  idea  that  an  alkaloid  is  the 
active  principle  of  ergot  and  on  this  basis  he  devised  a  method 
