FECULA OF SOLANEiE. 
231 
Green fecula of stramonium. Analogous experiments 
were made with the two kinds of fecula afforded by the stra- 
monium. Neither of these products had any physiological or 
therapeutic effect on the ten patients to whom they were ad- 
ministered. Their use was commenced in doses of one grain, 
gradually augmented to twenty, without causing any percep- 
tible action. In some cases, five grains were given at a dose, 
then fifteen, and even twenty, without any beneficial result. 
From these experiments it may be assumed that the green 
fecula left in the extracts made from the Solanese can add no- 
thing to their properties, and also that it is probable on the con- 
trary, that it diminishes the efficacy of these preparations in the 
exact proportion to the quantity present If these feculas 
have any remedial properties, it must be evident that they 
are much feebler than those of the principles retained in the 
juice, and in fact, it may be assumed, that any action they 
may exercise on the system, is owing to the presence of 
some of these principles, rather than to any inherent virtue 
of the fecula; and what seems to corroborate this, is that the 
coagulated fecula displays the most power. We are, however, 
far from wishing to assert that the green leaves of the Sola- 
neae, owe all their properties to a small quantity of soluble 
matters, but do maintain that the presence of green fecula di- 
minishes the power of the extracts. It may be objected that 
results obtained by Storck and other practitioners are opposed 
to this view of the subject; but it should be recollected, that 
to diminish the activity of a remedy is not to destroy its 
powers, and above all, that Storck prepared his extracts by a 
very gentle heat, whilst all other pharmaceutists of his day, 
used an elevated temperature in making these preparations, 
thus injuring them and in fact depriving them of their most 
active qualities. 
Bull. gen. de Therap. 
