THE  AMEKICAN 
JOURNAL  OF  PHARMACY 
AUGUST,  igij 
THE  POISONOUS  CONSTITUENT  OF  THE  BARK  OF 
ROBINIA  PSEUDACAGIA. 
By  Frederick  B.  Power. 
In  a  recent  publication  by  Professor  R.  Kobert,  of  the  Univer- 
sity of  Rostock,  Germany,  entitled :  "  Beitrage  zur  Kenntnis  der 
vegetabilischen  Haemagglutinins,'"  which  has  been  reprinted  from 
a  memorial  volume  of  the  Landwirtschaftliche  V  ersuchs-Stationen, 
Band  lxxix-lxxx,  some  very  astonishing  statements  have  been  made 
respecting  the  protein  of  the  bark  of  Robinia  Pseudacacia,  Linne. 
This  protein  substance  was  first  obtained  by  me  in  the  summer  of 
1889,  and  the  fact  that  it  possesses  the  well-known  poisonous  prop- 
erties of  the  respective  bark  was  conclusively  shown  in  a  paper 
read  before  the  Wisconsin  Academy  of  Sciences,  Arts  and  Letters 
on  December  27,  1889,  which  was  also  published  in  the  Pharm. 
Rundschau,  New  York,  1890,  8,  29-38.  In  a  subsequent  communi- 
cation (Pharm.  Journ.,  London,  1901,  67,  258)  I  had  shown  that 
this  protein,  to  which  in  the  meantime  Kobert  had  assigned  the 
name  robin,  possessed  enzymic  properties,  and  that  it  was  capable 
of  hydrolyzing  both  amygdalin  and  sinigrin  (potassium  myromate) 
with  the  production  respectively  of  bitter  almond  oil  and  mustard 
oil,  as  also  of  clotting  milk.  In  the  last-mentioned  paper  consid- 
eration was  taken  of  a  statement  in  a  dissertation  by  one  of  Pro- 
fessor Robert's  pupils,  namely,  Dr.  Carl  Lau  (Rostock,  1901), 
whereby  it  was  intimated  that  the  toxic  action  of  the  Robinia  pro- 
tein had  first  been  established  by  him.  The  exact  statement  by  Dr. 
Lau  (loc.  cit.,  p.  259)  was  as  follows:  "  Ich  wurde  sehr  gem  noch 
eingehendere  Versnche  dariiber  eingestellt  haben,  ob  die  giftige 
Eiweisssubstanz  der  Robinienrinde  ein  Albumin,  eine  Albumose, 
oder  ein  Globulin,  ader  ein  Gemisch  zweier  Substanzen  ist.  Zux 
(339) 
