558  Mydriatic  Action  of  the  Solanacece.  {Amxov?Sarm* 
heat  till  the  ebullition  ceases,  a  resinous  mass  separates  out  which 
subsides,  and  a  yellow  soluble  substance  remains  in  the  water. 
The  resinous  substance  when  dried  forms  a  fine  yellow  powder 
which  is  quite  different  from  curcumin  in  composition  and  odor. 
The  yellow  substance,  which  is  soluble  in  water,  crystallizes  in 
transparent  needles. — Phar.  Jour,  and  Trans.,  Aug.  14,  1886,  p.  123. 
THE  DISCOVERY  OF  THE  MYDRIATIC  ACTION  OF 
THE  SOLANACECE. 
By  Dr.  Eud.  Kobert. 
Professor  of  the  History  of  Medicine  and  Pharmacology  in  Dorpat,  Russia. 
There  can  be  no  doubt  that  the  discovery  of  the  mydriatic  action  of 
certain  Solanacea?  was  a  matter  of  great  importance  for  therapeutic 
practice.  Nevertheless,  there  exists  a  singular  uncertainty,  if  not  con- 
fusion, as  to  the  time  of  this  discovery  and  as  to  the  discoverer  himself. 
In  fact,  there  is  not  a  single  book  published  in  German,  French,  or 
English,  in  which  I  can  find  reliable  data  in  regard  to  this  matter.1 
In  order  to  mend  this  defect,  I  beg  leave  to  gather  for  a  historical 
discussion  all  pertinent  material,  which,  as  may  be  presumed,  is  no 
light  task. 
The  Greeks  and  Romans  understood  by  mydriasis  a  condition  of 
visual  weakness,  together  with  a  dilatation  of  the  pupil.  This  defini- 
tion can  be  found  in  Paulus  cEgineta  (iii.,  22),2  Celsus  (vi.,  6),  and 
Isagoges;  and  is  probably  derived  from  the  peculiar  condition  of 
visual  weakne-s  and  pupillary  dilatation  invariably  to  be  found  in 
glaucoma.  Some  few  authors,  as  Aetius,  designate  improperly,  also, 
other  pathological  conditions  of  the  eye,  such  as  phthisis  bulbi,  as 
mydriasis.    In  the  presently  accepted  meaning — i.  e.,  dilatation  of  the 
1  The  statements  of  A.  Hirsch  in  the  "History  of  Ophthalmology"  (Graefe- 
Saemisch,  "Text-book  of  Ophthalmology,"  vol.  vii.,  p.  235)  appearing  to  be 
more  trustworthy  than  those  of  other  authors,  have  been  adopted  in  the  main 
in  this  paper. 
2  This  interesting  passage  is  rendered  by  Adams  as  follows  :  When  the  pupil 
does  not  appear  changed  in  color,  but  much  wider  than  natural,  and  when  it 
sometimes  wholly  impairs  the  vision,  and  sometimes  nearly  so,  and  when 
every  object  appears  smaller,  the  affection  is  called  mydriasis.  The  cause  of  it 
is  some  redundant  humor. 
