IPECACUANHA. 1019
1, Qj
1,°*,.^/^ mailer.—It is extracted from ipecacuanha blether. It is of aa y«Uo ,'’- Vc ^ ow colour, soluble in alcohol and ether, to both of which it communicates* l °rse .> W y °* ou . r ' Its odour is very strong, and similar to that of the essential oil off« thatf S u 1 becomes insupportable when heat is applied, but is weak and analogousis g re °* we ipecacuanha root when diluted. The taste is acrid; the specific gravityThi s y than that of alcohol.
'vhich i St i^ matter consists of two substances : 1st, a very fugacious volatile substance,son* * ‘he odorous principle of ipecacuanha root; 2dly, a fixed fatty matter (which«<lou,. emists have mistaken, when mixed with emetina, for resin), having little or no
to hj^'thstamliniT it s strongtaste and odour, the fatty matter of this root does not seem0|>er at : a,1 y effect on the stomach. Given in large doses to animals, it had no sensibletncr e fr° n- Caventou took six grains at one time, but experienced no marked effectsd lsa «“.\- Felletier and Magendie swallowed some grains of it, and experienced a
2. £ - e impression on the throat, but it was temporary only.
h-r rtle( i ^ina —When first discovered by Pelletier and Magendie , in 1817, it wasP Ur ar natiere vomitive, or emetine (from ifiia, I vomit).v er u j e Retina is white (when not absolutely pure it has a grayish-yellow tinge), pul-l J le j n ’ "'odorous, with a slightly bitter taste ; fusible at 122° F.; very slightly solu-k °lubl e • ' but much more so in hot, water ; very soluble in alcohol, but scarcelydestf 0 111 et her and oils. It dissolves in acids, the acidity of which it does not entirelyRuu ln " ’ The salts of emetina are slightly acid, and very crystalli/able. They formbir let ijf Masses, in some only of which are traces of crystallization occasionally found,fliat tl Je a rest °res the blue colour of litmus which lias been reddened by an acid. I findc °lour el f c ^°"'isli-white emetina, sold in the shops under the name of pure emetina, is•iioujj rc| l by nitric acid, the red colour being much deepened on the addition of am-( Ves ulcoholic solution of iodine, added to an alcoholic solution of emetina, pro-I'tf;'eddish precipitate {hyd.rioda.te of emetina?). Tincture of galls copiouslyc ttieti„, a ? es . s °lutions of emetina if annate of emetina). The effect of these reagents on( listi, lEr a - ls s 'milar lo their effect on morphia; but from this last substance emetina isThe f'li^.by tbe salts of iron, which produce no change of colour in it.
"'lowing is the composition of emetina:—
Carbon
Ox
itrogen.
Eq.
Eg. Wt.
Per Cent.
Dumas and Pelletier .
9.10 .
.... 65 42 .
OF*
7-79 ....
}
14 .
.... 4-36 .....
. 4-30
Q
no. _
.... 22-43 .
i ...
. 321 .
.... 100-00 ....
ygenFtnetina
b| >a :-Lp llow ‘ n S are stated by Ma“-endie ( Formulaire , 95) as the effects of impure erne-S'Xl rot \ half ' a grain to two grains given to cats and dogs caused at first vomiting,h is '*p. In doses of from six to ten grains, vomiting, sleep, and death, took place,“f th e p n shewed inflammation of the pulmonary tissue, and of the mucous membrane)Hg i "Mentary canal, from the cardia to the anus. The same effects (namely, vomit-
| i | le c .f, 1 .1!’ a »d death) were observed when impure emetina was dissolved in water, and»i- U-d inn, ,1.„ _ -
'SSUg
tlVo
>nto the jugular vein, into the pleura, into the anus, or into the muscularOn man a quarter of a grain excited nausea and vomiting; a grain and a half,-Jeep Stains, taken fasting, caused continued vomiting, and decided disposition to
?.S r af n e ^ ects P u re emetina are similar, but more energetic. In one case 1 -16th ofsill a ,j ( ^ ausc d vomiting in a man eighty-five years of age : two grains are sufficient to
th e aTvam. has been proposed as a remedial agent,—as a substitute for ipecacuanha, all"ip, ^'Gges of which it is said to possess in a much smaller dose, and without thefiling v a,lt . tas te and odour which the root is known to have. I confess, however, Ito g ive er y little advantage is likely to be gained by the substitution. When we wisha ccti c e J ae 'ina in a liquid form, it may be readily dissolved in water by the aid ofr dilute sulphuric acid.
a, v5 n t CAI - Charac ' 1 I’EEiSTics. —A decoction of the root, filtered andl>lq e , . bo cool, becomes, on the addition of a solution of free iodine,"ell °. e °f starch). Tincture of nutgalls forms, in the decoction asas in the tincture diluted with water, a grayish white precipitate