Evening star., 1932-04-15
NEW POISON FOUND
AKIN TO HEML0CK.
Or. James r. Couch Discovers
Drug in U. S. Similar to
Socrates Potion.

Discovery In an American plant OF a
very potent poison, closely akin in
physiological action to the deadly
coniine of the hemlock. with which
Socrates was put to death; was an
nounced before the washington section
of the American Chemical Society last
night by Dr. James F. Couch of the
Department of Agriculture.
Besides this drug. Sparteine, DR..
Couch isolated from the same plant two
or three other a-kaloids which probably
were previously unknown to science, OF
undetermined chemical structure and
physiological effect. Sparteine once had
a limited use in very minute quantities
in medicine as heart stimulant. The
present discovery, however, is chiefly Of
interest to chemists concerned with the
distribution of alkalcid substances in
nature. One by one the world over the
alkaloids are being isolated and their
physiological effects determined. Nearly
all of them are poisons and act spe-
officially on the nervous system.
Isolated a Century Ago.
Almost a century ago, DR.. Couch told
the chemists last night, this powerful
drug first was isolated from the yellow
lupine Of Europe, together with another
po,ent alk2loid, which was named lu-
pinine. Afterward the drug was found
in the yellow broom flower of Europe,
long celebrated in history as the en-
blem of the Plantagenet kings of Eng
land
Now the lupine family Of plants Is
largely concentrated in North America.
Here there are hundreds Of them, COM
pared with only few scattered varie-
ties in Europe, Asia and North Africa.
But intensive analysis OF the American
lupines over many years failed to re-
veal a trace of either sparteine or
lupinine, although other alkaloids were
discovered. Several Of these came from
DR.. COUGHS own laboratory.
The long search. was rewarded when
DR.. Couch, trying to extract whatever
alkaloid substances might be found in
American lupine from Utah, found that
one of these was identical with the
European sparteine.
Problem In Plant Evolution.
How such a vegetable poison could
have leaped over an ocean and two
thirds of continent offers a difficult
problem in plant evolution. Although
the other alkaloids In this plant still
are largely indeterminate. DR.. Couch
evidently has uncovered Q curious
chemical complex. The sparteine
from the European plant is obtained
as liquid and steadily has resisted
all efforts to crystallize into a solid
in its pure form. When another
chemical substance is added to it the
two will enter into q chemical conbi-
nation which will crystalline. II
requires about two weeks But one of
these other alkaloids in the American
plant, when placed with sparteine,
acted as a catalyst and caused very
rapid capitalization. The Utah lupine
did not contain any of sparteine's COM
panion drug in the European plant,
lupinine.
One Of the new alkaloids found In
the Utah plant can be produced In
crystal form in great abundance, If it
ever should be found to have
physiological or experimental value.
DR.. Couch has conducted expert
ments with the poisonous effects Of all
the known lupine alkaloids, when
administered to animals. Sparteine
Is the second most poisonous of them.
All Of them, DR.. Couch said, show
depression and muscular paralysis and
death follows from asphyxia. In
sparteine poisoning there are general
spasms. When the drug is injected in
to guinea pig there may be period
OF unusual excitability preceding o
marked depression. This Is quickly
followed by tremors over the whole
head bobs rapidly. The tremors be-
come more and more frequent and
violent. Finally, if the dose has been
sufficient, paralysis sets in, the breath
ing becomes slower, the eye-ballS pro-
trude, and finally respiration stops
altogether. A curious effect is that
the heart continues to beat for some
time after breathing has ceased.
Recovery Rapid.
With any Of the lupine poisons where
a fatal dose has not been given, DR..
Couch says, recovery is very rapid and
generally is complete in five or six
hours. With the others also the heart
continues to beat after all breathing
apparently has stopped, but becomes
steadily weaker and more irregular.
The Department of Agriculture is
concerned with the lupine alkaloids
since these plants are widely dispersed
in nature and frequently are eaten BY
stock, causing deaths. Interest of
chemists first was aroused In Germany
early in the last century through
fatalities to sheep supposedly due to
eating the yellow Mpine, although Il
was shown afterwards that this was
not due to the alkaloids contained in
the plant. The investigation resulted
in some of the earliest discoveries Of
alkaloids. Some of the lupines act
very curiously, DR.. Couch said, proving
very poisonous at certain stages of
growth and practically harmless at
others. This phenomenon still remains
largely unexplained.