A preliminary notice of the akazga ordeal of West Africa, and of its active principle.

  • Fraser, Thomas R. (Thomas Richard), 1841-1920.
Date:
[1867], [©1867]
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: A preliminary notice of the akazga ordeal of West Africa, and of its active principle. Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material has been provided by The University of Glasgow Library. The original may be consulted at The University of Glasgow Library.

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    and a half, and it had completely disappeared in an hour and forty-five minutes. Concentrated nitric, hydrochloric, and sulphuric acids change its colour to brown ; but these in a diluted state—as well as many of the organic acids—form nearly colourless solutions with akazgia. It is precipitated from these solutions by hydrate, carbonate, and bicarbonate of sodium and of potassium ; by ammonia; by iodide, sulphocyanate, ferrocyanide, and chromate of potassium; by phosphate of sodium, protochloride of tin, trichloride of gold, dichloride of platinum, potassio-mercuric iodide, carbazotic acid, tincture of galls, solution of iodine, and various other substances: but these precipitates are never crystal- line. Corrosive sublimate causes an amorphous white precipi- tate, which is dissolved by heat, and reappears in a non- crystalline form when the solution has - cooled. Chlorine produces a colourless amorphous precipitate which does not disappear on the addition of ammonia. When akazgia is treated with nitric acid and heat, a yellowish solution is formed; and protochloride of tin causes in this a grey precipitate, which is dissolved by again aj)plying heat. With concentrated sulphuric acid and peroxide of manganese, bichromate of potassium, or any other o^ the usual oxidizing agents, the same succession of colours is produced (from blue to brown) which results from a similar treatment of strychnia. A violet colour is also pro- duced by electrolysis. 3. Physiological Action.—The physiological action of the alcoholic extract of akazga is very similar to that of extract of nux vomica. In a gradually increasing series of doses, it was found that six tenths of a grain is the minimum fatal dose for a rabbit weighing about three pounds. When this was injected into the subcutaneous cellular tissue, reflex movements were exaggerated in nine minutes; tetanus occurred in ten, and the animal was dead in eleven minutes. Five tenths of a grain given to a rabbit of the same weight caused a violent tetanic convulsion in eighteen minutes ; and convulsion after convulsion rapidly succeeded each other, with gradually diminishing severity, imtil fifty-four minutes after the exhibition of the poison, when the animal assumed a natural position, and recovered so quickly as to appear perfectly well in little more than an hour. The active principle, akazgia, produced exactly the same phenomena in corresponding doses. According to the analysis, each grain of this alkaloid should equal seven grains of extract, or fifty grains of dry bark; and I found the physiological results to agree admirably with this. One tenth of a grain of akazgia was dissolved in a few minims of