Page:Proceedings of the Royal Society of London Vol 2.djvu/104

Rh principally to reside, while its separation does not seem to diminish the specific effects of the medicine upon gout.

When the bulb of the Colchicum autumnale, says the author, is infused in wine, both extractive matter and mucilage are taken up, but a copious deposition takes place in the strained tincture. Several experiments proved that this first deposit is nearly inert; but the clear liquor subsequently forms other depositions, and it is to these that the experiments in this paper relate. The author took half a bottle of Eau medicinale containing none of the sediment, and its effects were extremely mild compared with those of the other half containing the sediment.

To ascertain how far this sediment, thus shown to contribute to the violent operation of the medicine upon, was active in curing the gout, Sir Everard made the following experiment. Sixty drops of the clear vinous infusion were given to a man labouring under a severe fit of gout. It produced slight nausea, and operated twice gently upon the bowels. In 19 hours his pulse fell from 115 to 92, and in 48 hours he was well, and continued so for more than three months.

The result of this case satisfied the author that the principle in the colchicum which cures gout is retained in permanent solution, and induced him to believe that the violent effects of the remedy upon the stomach and bowels, must depend upon some distinct substance contained in the sediment.

To ascertain this point several experiments were instituted upon dogs, tending not merely to confirm Sir Everard's opinion upon this head, but likewise satisfactorily to demonstrate the identity of the Eau medicinale with the infusion of Colchicum autumnale. The experiments were made by Mr. Gatecombe, with the following results. Thirty drops of Eau medicinale, with the deposit injected into the jugular vein, produced a purging of nine hours duration. One hundred and sixty drops administered in the same way, killed the dog in six hours, and there were appearances of violent inflammation in the bowels. The same quantity taken by the mouth, produced nearly similar effects. One hundred and sixty drops of the vinous infusion of colchicum, without sediment, produced purging and vomiting, from which the animal recovered. Two hundred drops produced the same effect, but 300 drops produced effects corresponding with those of the 160 of Eau medicinale. The dog died in nine hours. Hence it appears that the Eau medicinale produces double the effect of the vinous infusion of colchicum. Six grains of the deposit from the vinous infusion, produced vomiting and purging, with blood, which lasted twenty-four hours.

Sir Everard conceives, from these experiments, that the acrimonious and highly drastic effect of the Eau medicinale, is to be referred to the sediment which it deposits, and notices the analogy which thus exists between it and the juice of the wild cucumber, the sediment of which is known under the name of Elaterium as a highly drastic purge, whereas the juice which has deposited this substance is comparatively inert.