ABSORPTION OF MEDICINES.

15

Oil of turpentine.

--- juniper.

Valerian.

Sa ffron.

Odorous Principles somewhat altered.

Asafoetida.

Garlic.

Castoreum.

Opium.

Narcotic principle ofAmanita muscariaAsparagus (Cullen.)

Other Matters.

Astringency of Ura ursi (in 45 minutes.) Oil of almonds (Bachetoni.)

(B) In a state of combination.

Sulphur, as sulphuric acid and sulphuretted hydrogen.

Iodine, as hydriodic acid or ioduret.

Oxalic A

Tartaric f

Gallic (in 20 minutes) f Acids, appear in combinationSuccinic \

Benzoic '

(C) In a Decomposed state.

Tartrate

Mai ate 4 P otas ^> or s0 ^ a > are changed into the carbonate of the same alkali.

*

Acetate

Sulphuret of potassium changed, in a great measure, into the sulphate of potash.

If tlie accounts published respecting theAmanita muscaria (iig. 7) he correct, its effectsare most extraordinary. A variety of this fun-gus has a powerful narcotic or rather inebriat-ing effect; and that the active molecules getinto the blood is proved by the fact of the urinarysecretion being impregnated with them, andthus possessing an intoxicating property; andwe are told that the inhabitants of the north-eastern parts of Asia use it for this property. Aman, for example, may have intoxicated him-self to-day by eating some of the fungus; bythe next morning he will have slept himselfsober; but by drinking a tea-cupful of his urinehe will become as powerfully intoxicated as onthe preceding day. “ Thus,” says Dr. Greville,on the authority of Dr. Langsdorf, “with avery few Amanita, a party of drunkards may keep up their debauch for aweekand “ by means of a second person taking the urine of the first, athird of the second, and so on, the intoxication may be propagatedthrough five individuals.”

Vessels effecting absorption. —The particles of medicinal and poi-sonous substances are absorbed by the veins principally, but also by thelymphatics and lacteals.

1. Absorption by the Veins . —The circumstances which seem to provevenous absorption are the following:—

a. Detection of substances in the venous blood. —Tiedemann and Gmelin{op. cit.) administered a variety of colouring, odorous, and saline -sub-stances to animals, mixed with theirfood, and afterwards examined the stateof the chyle, and of the blood of the (splenic, mesenteric, and portal) veins.The colouring substances employed were—indigo, madder, rhubarb,cochineal, litmus, alkanet, gamboge, and sap-green; none of them could

Fig. 7.

Amanita muscaria .