454 
The  Quinine-Flower. 
Am.  Jour.  Pharm. 
Oct.,  1876. 
"  Your  note  with  samples  of  the  alcoholic  extract  and  bitter  princi- 
ple of  Megarrhiza  californica,  for  the  purpose  of  ascertaining  their 
physiological  action  on  the  animal  organism,  have  been  received.  I 
would  state  that  the  extract  in  large  doses  is  a  powerful  irritant,  caus- 
ing gastro-enteritis  and  death.     It  produces  griping    pains  in  the 
•  stomach,  nausea,  vomiting  and  profuse  diarrhoea,  violent  strangury,, 
with  other  symptoms  of  renal  and  vesical  irritation.     Given  in  J  to  J 
grain  doses,  the  extract  is  a  drastic  hydragogue  cathartic,  causing 
nausea,  sometimes  vomiting,  griping  pain  and  copious  watery  stools. 
In  smaller  doses,  frequently  repeated,  it  is  a  diuretic  and  laxative. 
Notwithstanding  its  activity,  I  should  deem  it  a  safe  and  convenient 
purgative,  and  should  consider  it  useful  in  all  cases  where  it  is  desirable 
to  produce  an  energetic  influence  on  the  bowels.    To  obtain  large 
evacuations  its  hydragogue  properties  must  prove  beneficial  in  dropsies. 
It  also  augments  the  urinary  discharges.     In  intestinal  inflammations 
it  should  not  be  used.     The  above  is  the  result  of  a  series  of  experi- 
ments made  upon  myself  and  others.    Its  toxicological  action  on  a  dog 
was  undertaken,  but  proved  a  failure  in  so  far  as  it  caused  emesis. 
Five  grain  doses  of  the  bitter  principle  were  repeated  every  15  to  30 
minutes,  until  30  grains  were  administered.     However,  purging  and 
frequent  desire  to  urinate  followed,  but,  otherwise,  the  animal  showed 
no  symptoms  of  disturbance.     The  following  day,  I  again  adminis- 
tered 5  grains  of  bitter  principle,  which  was  also  ejected.     Finding  that 
nothing  would  be  retained  in  the  stomach  (not  even  food),  the  animal 
was  killed  for  examination,  which  was  conducted  immediately  after  its 
death.    The  chief  morbid  appearance  observed  was  a  patch  of  redness 
in  the  mucous  membrane  of  the  stomach  near  its  cardiac  orifice.  The 
intestines  were  found  to  be  slightly  inflamed,  as  also  the  bladder,  which 
was  nearly  empty.     There   was  also  a  marked   congestion  of  the 
kidneys." 
THE  QUININE-FLOWER. 
BY  J.  DABNEY   PALMER,  M.D.,  MONTICELLO,  FLA. 
The  Quinine-fiower  is  an  annual  from  twelve  to  eighteen  inches 
high,  has  an  erect  green  stem,  linear  leaves  of  about  one-half  to  one 
inch  in  length,  and  small  white  flowers.  The  root  consists  of  numer- 
ous slender  fibres. 
It  is  a  native  of  Florida,  and  is  found  most  abundantly  in  flat  pine 
