Hopkinsville Kentuckian. [volume] (Hopkinsville, Ky.) 1889-1918, 1899-10-17
TRYING DRUGS ON ANIMALS.
Dogs Used to Ascertain the Strength of
Hasheesh.

n eselVu, Trying IL on dOg, salu
Ncal representative Of great manu-
featuring drug house. cit means an
experimental performance Of a new
play in some small city. If the dog,
otherwise the small city, shows no
great symptoms of distress they ven
.tpEe the thing in New York. Well,
iRTour line Of business we frequently
try it on dog also on frog, rat,
a rooster, guinea pig, and other an
imals too numerous to mention. Our
trials are literal, not fgurative. We
make them to ascertain the strength
of certain drugs, which, for some
reason or other, defy chemical anal
ysis. In such cases we resort to
what is called physiological test.
Suppose, for instance, we want to
find out the strength of a sample of
digitalis, which, if in good condition,
has stimulating effect on the heart.
The experts on the staff of labora-
tory at our works force a drop of
the stuff into the stomach of a small
frog, which is then placed in deli
cate machine called akymograph that
records its heartbeats on strip of
paper. The digitalis may be perfect
ly dead and inert and it may be strong
and active-no chemist could tell the
difference-but the kymograph gets
at the truth with infallible certainty,
and the sample is graded accordingly.
The frogs used are little fellows not
over two inches long, and they are
rather hard to get. Some time ago
wFsentthe house consignment from
NeN Orleans, but they proved to be
too large. Why do we use such small
ones? Because it takes less of the
drug to affect them. It's merely a
matter of economy.
"Some of the other tests are still
more curious" continued the drug
man, "and none queerer than that of
-ergot. Toascertain its active proper
ties small quantity is injected into
a. full-grown rooster. If the drug
is up to standard strength the comb
of the fowl soon begins to turn blue
and eventually becomes almost black.
The power of the particular sample
on trial is indicated by the deepness
Of the discoloration. This test is the
only reliable one known and is ex-
ceedingly valuable, because ergot has
a strange trick of occasionally losing
all its medicinal properties without
showing the slightest change in gen.
eral appearance THasheesh,' which
has figured so extensively in TO
mances of the orient, is known scien-
tifcally as Cannabis Indica. 1t is
tested on dogs. When the drug is
all right the dog soon begins to get
'dopy,' staggers in IFS walk and even
tually keels over and dreams dreams.
The necessity Of testing hasheesh
grows out of very singular fact. As
mostpeople know, it is made from the
blossomof Indian hemp, but it is only |
the unfertilized female flower that |
has any narcotic properties. The |
male flowers and the seed bearing fe- |
male flowers are absolutely valueless,
but all three look alike to the naked |
eye. So does the tincture prepared
from them, and, like the other drugs |
mentioned, it doesn't yield to anal
ysis. These tests will give fair idea |
of the modern method of getting at
facts about medicines. They are only |
a few out of many. Altogether, / sup
pose that upward of dozen differ
ent animals are used, each selected
because of its sensitiveness to some
special preparation. Occasionally the
raise wall over the
poor guinea pigs and white rats and
the innocent frogs that are sacrificed
to science, but if it wasn't for the help
Of these creatures we would have to
fall back ON the old-fashioned meth
cd of distinguishing toadstools from
Cook them and eat
them,' was the formula, and if they
don't kill you they are mushrooms"
IN. o. Times-Democrat.
y Fined for Owning Four Dogs.
NM. In,r, -, pn1is forhids he r,oesnc