ANESTHETIC  PRINCIPLE  OF  THE  LYCOPERDON  PROTEUS.  465 
The  first  step  I  considered  it  necessary  to  take  in  the  investiga- 
tion, was  to  determine  in  what  part  of  the  fungus  the  anesthetic 
ingredient  was  contained  ;  that  is  to  say,  whether  in  the  sporules, 
the  cellular  tissue,  or  the  matters  soluble  in  water.  I  accord- 
ingly digested  two  or  three  ounces  of  the  fungus,  previously  torn 
up  into  small  pieces,  in  moderately  warm  water,  and  by  means 
of  pressure  and  washing,  separated  the  sporules  and  soluble  con- 
stituents from  the  cellular  matter.  Then,  by  allowing  the  water 
that  had  been  used  in  this  operation  to  remain  undisturbed  for 
several  hours,  the  sporules  were  collected  in  the  form  of  a  dark 
brown-colored,  muddy  deposit.  This  was  well  washed  once^  or 
twice  with  water,  and  dried  in  an  oven,  as  was  also  the  cellular 
matter,  and  the  watery  solution  was  evaporated  to  dryness.  On 
testing  these  three  substances,  it  was  found  that  only  two  of 
them,  namely  the  sporules  and  the  cellular  tissue,  were  capable 
of  producing  anaesthesia;  the  aqueous  extract  evolved  a  thick  irri- 
tating vapor,  but  this  did  not  occasion  insensibility  on  inhalation. 
It  was  clear,  therefore,  that  the  narcotic  principle  should  be 
looked  for  in  the  two  former.  Accordingly,  small  portions  of 
each  of  them  were  digested  for  several  hours  in  boiling  alcohol, 
ether,  bisulphide  of  carbon,  wood-spirit,  diluted  sulphuric  acid, 
and  fusel  oil,  but  in  every  instance  the  residuary  matter,  when 
pressed  and  dried,  was  found  to  retain  its  original  narcotic  quality. 
Fresh  quantities  were  then  soaked  for  a  considerable  period  in 
hot  alkaline  lye,  and  in  a  hot  solution  of  moderately  strong  nitric 
acid,  until  nothing  further  was  dissolved  out  by  either  of  the 
reagents ;  the  insoluble  portion  was  well  washed  with  water,  and 
again  dried  in  an  oven.  On  this  being  tested  as  before, 
anaesthesia  was  found  to  be  no  longer  produced. 
In  the  next  series  of  experiments  I  operated  in  a  different  way. 
I  introduced  the  fumes  of  the  burning  fungus  into  bottles  con- 
taining small  quantities  of  liquor  potassae,  dilute  hydrochloric 
acid,  alcohol,  fusel  oil,  and  diluted  sulphuric  acid.  The  bottles 
were  then  well  shaken  for  several  minutes,  and  the  properties  of 
the  purified  fumes  were  tested  by  introducing  flies,  bees,  or  wasps, 
secured  by  cement  to  the  ends  of  long  splinters  of  wood,  into  the 
bottles,  and  observing  the  effects.  In  every  case,  however,  in- 
sensibility was  still  produced,  thus  showing  that  the  narcotic 
quality  of  the  fumes  was  not  caused  by  anybody  soluble  in  these 
30* 
