PHYSIOLOGICAL ACTION OF LYCOCTONIA. 
BY ISAAC OTT, M.D., 
DEMONSTRATOR OP PHYSIOLOGY, UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA. 
LYCOCTONIA and napellina were dis- 
tinguished as separate alkaloids from 
aconitia by He procured 
them from Aconitum lycoctonum. The 
specimen used by me was made by Tromms- 
dorf, and was a white crystalline powder. 
Bromine-water added to it gave a yellow 
precipitate, Nessler’s reagent precipitated 
it largely, sulphuric acid gave a colorless 
solution, as did also phosphoric with heat. 
In the succeeding experiments each cubic 
centimetre of our neutral solution contained 
a centigramme of the alkaloid in shape of 
acetate. Klebs made some unpublished 
experiments with it, and inferred that it 
was much less energetic than aconitia. 
pupil contracted, disappearance of respira- 
tory movements, heart beating for a very 
long time after the absence of every sign 
of life. 
Exp. /.—Frog. Weight, sixteen grammes; at 
8.46 a.m. received .05 gramme lycoctonia sub- 
cutaneously; leaps away; respiratory move- 
ments less frequent. 8.49 a.m., complete relax- 
ation; pupil contracted, respiratory movement 
now and then. 9 a.m., death; motor nerves 
not irritable; heart beat forty-eight per min- 
ute, and was beating still an hour afterwards. 
Exp. ll.—Frog. Weight, 29.3 grammes; at 
8.42 A.M. received subcutaneously .1 gramme 
of lycoctonia. 8.45 a.m., respirations less 
frequent; lying on abdomen; great want of 
co-ordination ; loss of movement in posterior 
extremities. 8.50 a.m., pupil contracted; 
occasional respiratory movement. 9.5 a.m., 
.1 gramme under the skin in the vicinity of 
the lymph-sacs. Mechanical irritation causes 
muscular twitchings. 9.53 a.m., death ; motor 
nerves irritable only with strongest currents 
of Dubois’s induction-apparatus with Helm- 
holtz’s arrangement; thrusting probe down 
the spine caused no movement; heart beat 
thirty-two per minute, and continued its move- 
ments for over an hour. 
Bucheim and Eisenmenger* made a few 
experiments on frogs. They saw muscular 
movements, convulsions, extended extremi- 
ties, loss of reflex action, with the presence 
of muscular contractility, contracted pupil, 
and few respirations. They used doses 
varying from .0015 to .005 gramme. 
Schroff-!* saw in two men .05 gramme of 
the acetate produce at first an increased 
frequency of pulse. In a rabbit .4 gramme 
by mouth produced increase of pulse and 
decrease of respiratory movement, with sub- 
sequent fall of the former. The pupil was 
dilated, and the movements wholly undis- 
turbed ; the animal recovered. 
The above experiments represent the 
action of lycoctonia, that it paralyzes the 
motor nerves or diminishes their irritability. 
In the majority of cases I found the 
motor nerves completely non-irritable; but 
in some frogs, without regard to species, 
and even in the same species, the motor 
nerves were not completely paralyzed. A 
similar action has been observed by Boehm 
on frogs with aconitia. 
In another rabbit .4 gramme subcutane- 
ously caused dilated pupil, very frequent 
pulse and respiration. With doses of .005 
to .06 gramme subcutaneously in frogs, 
sensibility remained intact, the spinal cord 
appeared not directly affected, the motor 
nerves were paralyzed, muscles excitable, 
The heart was always beating, lycoc- 
tonia not being a cardiac poison in 
like aconitia, as the following experiment 
with the latter shows. 
* Eckhard’s Beitrage, funfter Band, zweites Heft, 
f Beitrag zur Kenntniss des Aconit. PHYSIOLOGICAL ACTION OF LVCOCTONIA. 
2 
Exp. lll.—Frog. Weight, forty-nine 
grammes ; received subcutaneously at 9 a.m. 
.025 gramme of aconitia of Menck’s in shape 
of acetate; leaps away; lower jaw drooping. 
9.08 a.m., complete relaxation; slight move- 
ment on mechanical irritation. 
Exp. Vll.—Small rabbit received, per ju- 
gular, ,1 gramme of lycoctonia; at 9.43 A.M. 
unable to maintain an erect posture; convul- 
sive movements ; pupil dilating ; convulsive 
action of muscles about the neck; respiratory 
movements ceased. 
9.15 a.m., death; ventricle in complete 
diastole, no movement in it; auricle beating 
now and then. 
It is evident that lycoctonia is a poison 
which kills mainly by arrest of respiratory 
apparatus, as cardiac movements continue 
after death. 
9.57 A.M., death, heart beating. 
To study the action on the sensory 
nerves and spinal cord I used the method 
of Bernard. 
Exp. IV.—Frog. Weight, fifty grammes. 
At 9.10 a.m., received .1 gramme of lycoc- 
tonia, the right iliac artery and vein tied pre- 
viously. 9.12 a.m., diminished respiration ; 
want of co-ordination and power ; pupil con- 
tracted ; mechanical irritatio.n calls out move- 
ment only in leg in which supply of poison is 
shut off; respirations now and then. 
The action on the circulation was 
studied on rabbits. I made sixteen ex- 
periments. The animals were narcotized 
by morphia. In all other respects every- 
thing was conducted in the same manner 
as laid down in my paper on gelsemia. 
The pressure and pulsations are given for 
periods of .fifteen seconds. 
Circulation. 
9.43 a.m., death ; motor nerves upon which 
the poison acted non-excitable ; gastrocnemii 
of either side equally irritable; heart beat 
thirty per minute, and pulsated over an hour 
afterwards. 
Exp. I. Rabbit. Curare ; tracheotomy ; 
artificial respiration ; jugular and carotid pre- 
pared. 
Time. 
Pulse. 
Pressure. 
A.M. 
67 
102 
66 
Lycoctonia .1 grm. 
8.20.15 
43 
8.20.30 
37 
54 
8.20.45 
3i 
46 
8.21.30 
48 
42 
8.21.45 
47 
44 
8.59.OO 
So 
82 
Lycoctonia .1 grm, 
8.59.15 
46 
82 
9.OO.OO 
33 
60 
9.OO.15 
32 
70 
9.06.15 
49 
60 
Exp. V. Frog. Weight,, thirty-nine 
grammes ; right iliac artery and vein ligated ; 
received at 9.53 a.m. .1 gramme lycoctonia 
subcutaneously. 9.55 a.m., loss of co-ordina- 
tion ; occasional respiratory movements. 10.14 
a m., pupil contracted from position; pinching 
causes movement only in the limbs in which 
the access of the poison has been prohibited. 
10.18 a.m., .1 gramme lycoctonia subcutane- 
ously. 10.40 a.m., death; sciatic nerve on 
left side not irritable, but irritation of its cen- 
tral end called out movements in right pos- 
terior extremity ; right and left gastrocnemius 
equally irritable; heart beat twenty-four per 
minute. 
Exp. ll.—Rabbit, Curare ; artificial respi- 
ration ; carotid and jugular prepared ; trache- 
otomy. 
These observations show conclusively 
that the sensory nerves and spinal cord are 
not affected by this alkaloid. 
Time. 
Pulse. 
Pressure. 
A.M. 
75 
IOO 
Lycoctonia .05 grm 
IO.05.i5 
72 
98 
IO.05.30 
59 
84 
IO.06.OO 
64 
84 
IO.08.OO 
56 
9° 
IO.O9.i5 
66 
24 
IO.37.30 
66 
24 
To study the action oh the muscle I used 
Marey’s myograph and regu- 
lator, after the method laid down by Marey. 
In no case did I find any prolongation of 
the curve as produced by veratria, or as 
Weyland states takes place under aconitia. 
Boehm and Wartmann were unable to con- 
firm this discovery of Weyland’s. 
The preceding experiments show that the 
action of lycoctonia is a reduction of the 
pulse and pressure. Immediately after the 
injection the pulse-waves are considerably 
greater and steeper. In small doses, like 
aconitia, its action on the heart causes a 
delirium cordis, that is, periods where the 
pulse is suddenly greatly slowed whilst 
the pressure also rises and falls in a man- 
ner not to be predicted. Unlike the 
action of aconitia, the blood-pressure in 
Exp. Vl.—Large rabbit received at 12.32 
p.m. .1 gramme of lycoctonia into arterial 
system ; the animal immediately became quiet 
and was unable to stand. 
12.35 P.M., .1 gramme injected into arterial 
system. 12.42 p.m., .1 gramme injected into 
arterial system. Convulsions, with clonic 
contractions of muscles of neck and jaws; 
respirations ceased. 12.43 p-M., death ; heart 
beating. PHYSIOLOGICAL ACTION OF LYCOCTONIA. 
3 
rabbits never suffers a preliminary rise. 
This series of results can happen either by 
a central.or a peripheral excitation of the 
pneumogastrics. In nicotin and atropin 
we have an agent that paralyzes the 
peripheral end of the vagi. Schmiede- 
berg* has shown that in a heart stopped 
by muscarin, which greatly excites the 
cardio-inhibitory ganglia, nicotin is unable 
to start the heart, whilst atropin does. This 
led him to infer that nicotin paralyzes 
the nerves uniting the peripheral end of 
the vagi to the cardio-inhibitory ganglia, 
and that atropin paralyzes the ganglia 
themselves. 
ratus. The peculiar paroxysmal action of 
the heart continues after the use of atropin. 
That the vagi are not paralyzed by small 
doses the following observations show, 
Exp. Vl.—Rabbit. Tracheotomy ; curare ; 
artificial respiration ; carotid and jugular pre- 
pared ; left vagus prepared. 
Time. 
Pulse. 
Pressure. 
P.M, 
68 
126 
Lycoctonia .05 grm. 
3.50.OO 
63 
126 
3-50-I5 
78 
120 
3.51.0° 
63 
124 
4.06.15 
62 
96 
4.07.OO 
62 
78 
Lycoctonia .05 grm. 
4.07.15 
5§ 
77 
4.07.30 
55 
64 
4.08.OO 
57 
68 
4.O9.3O 
46 
102 
4.I2.45 
55 
108 
Lycoctonia .05 grm. 
4-I3-I5 
61 
116 
4-I3-30 
49 
in 
Vagus irritated for 
three seconds. Du- 
bois’s secondary 
coil at 4. 
4.19.55 
CO 
vn ’ 
120 
Lycoctonia .05 grm. 
4.20.10 
63 
113 
4.20.25 
61 
114 
4.2I.OO 
51 
no 
Vagus irritated for 
one second. Du- 
bois’s coil at 4. 
4.24.30 
52 
130 
Lycoctonia .05 grm. 
4.24.45 
58 
120 
4.45.I9 
60 
128 
4-45-34 
36 
110 
Vagus irritated four 
seconds. Dubois’s 
coil at 4. 
Exp. 111.—Rabbit. Tracheotomy; curare; 
artificial respiration ; carotid and jugular pre- 
pared; vagi cut. 
Time. 
Pulse. 
Pressure. 
A.M. 
78 
106 
Lycoctonia .1 grm, 
IO.45.OO 
71 
90 
IO.45.3O 
48 
36 
IO.45.45 
49 
30 
IO.46.3O 
63 
30 
IO.5i.3O 
75 
70 
IO.55.45 
60 
82 
II.17.30 
65 
72 
Exp. IV.—Rabbit. Tracheotomy ; curare ; 
artificial respiration; atropin ; carotid and 
jugular prepared ; paralysis of vagi as tested 
by strong currents. 
Time. 
Pulse. 
Pressure. 
P.M. 
60 
I30 
6.OO.15 
IOO' 
Lycoctonia .1 grm 
57 
6.OO.3O 
56 
68 
6.01.00 
50 
38 
6.01.15 
48 
40 
6.IO.3O 
59 
120 
Coagulation. 
6.11.15 
60 
118 
6,12.00 
61 
120 
6.12.45 
64 
118 
Exp. VII—Rabbit. Right vagus prepared ; 
canula in jugular; Middeldorpf’s needle used 
to observe the action of the heart. 
Exp. V.—Rabbit. Tracheotomy; curare; 
vagi paralyzed by nicotin as proved by irri- 
tating with strong currents. Carotid and jugu- 
lar prepared; artificial respiration. 
Time. 
P.M. 
2.15 
Dubois’s coil at 11. Stops heart. Ly- 
coctonia .1 gramme. 
2.18 
Dubois’s coil at xr. Slows the heart. 
2.24 
Lycoctonia .4 gramme. 
2.26 
Artificial respiration. 
2-33 
Dubois’s coil at 0. slows the heart. 
2-43 
Dubois’s coil at 0. no power over the 
heart. 
Time. 
A,M. 
Pulse. 
Pressure. 
9.OO.OO 
70 
Il8 
Lycoctonia .1 grm, 
9.OI.OO 
62 
54 
9.OI.I5 
62 
55 
9.OI.3O 
67 
54 
9-2I*53 
57 
108 Coagulation. 
Exp. VII. shows that large doses are able 
to paralyze the vagi, for when the sec- 
ondary coil was shoved over the primary 
the pneumogastric had no action on the 
heart. 
These observations show conclusively 
that the sinking of pulse and pressure has 
not its seat either in a central or peripheral 
stimulation of the cardio-inhibitory appa- 
Exp. VIII. Rabbit. Tracheotomy; cu- 
rare ; artificial respiration ; carotid, jugular, 
and sciatic nerve prepared ; Ludwig’s screw- 
electrode fastened into the atlas and occiput; 
Pohl’s commutator so arranged that the cur- 
* Ludwig’s Arbeiten, 1870. 4 
PHYSIOLOGICAL ACTION OF LYCOCTONIA. 
rent of electricity can be sent either to the 
sciatic nerve or the vaso-motor centre by roll- 
ing the cradle. 
It is evident that the fall of pressure and 
of pulse is due to diminished excitability 
of the heart, and, as the striated muscles 
are not affected by the poison, it must be 
due to the nervous mechanism being 
changed. But how are we to explain the 
paroxysmal changes of pulse and pressure, 
the delirium cordis? Heidenhain, on irri- 
tating directly the vaso-motor centre after 
previous section of the vagi and artificial 
respiration, observed the following : when 
strong currents were used there ensued a 
want of rhythm similar in appearance to 
that observed after the use of lycoctonia. 
He had to deal with a high pressure in the 
circulatory system. He then sought out 
the cause of this want of rhythm, whether 
it was seated in the cardiac nerves or the 
heart itself. After separation of the cardiac 
nervous apparatus external to the heart, he 
found it to be localized in the heart itself. 
He then thought it must be either in a 
weakening of the motor ganglia of the 
heart or increased action of the inhibitory 
ganglia. The weakening of the motor 
ganglia seemed to him to fail utterly in 
accounting for this appearance. His con- 
clusion was that high pressure irritates the 
cardio-inhibitory ganglia, and thus causes 
these paroxysms, but when their excitability 
sinks the want of rhythm disappears; that 
this delirium is an expression of the antag- 
onism of the forces of the cardio-motor 
and cardio-inhibitory ganglia, and irrita- 
tion of the vagi for very short periods gave 
curves precisely similar. Atropin did not 
prevent this want of cardiac rhythm, which 
caused Heidenhain to doubt if it paralyzed 
all the inhibitory ganglia. Boehm and 
Wartmann, who observed a similar want of 
rhythm after small doses of aconitia, think 
that it is probable that an excitation of the 
cardio-inhibitory apparatus is called into 
play, or that aconitia antagonizes the para- 
lytic effect of atropin. 
Time. 
Pulse. 
Pressure. 
A.M. 
57 
94 
Lycoctonia .05 grm. 
IO.46.i5 
55 
76 
IO.46.30 
53 
80 
IO.46.45 
5i 
54 
IO.47.3O 
IO.52.OO 
to 
II.O2.05 
5i 
60 
Lycoctonia .15 grm. 
I I.03.IO 
56 
90 
Vaso-motor centre 
irritated indirectly 
for two seconds. 
Dubois’s coil at 16. 
I I.O3.25 
54 
102 
11.08.28 
44 
84 
11.16.01 
11.34.01 
to 
12.16.56 
5o 
62 
Depressor nerve irri- 
tated for eleven 
seconds. Dubois’s 
coil at 16. 
Lycoctonia .2 50 grm. 
12.19.17 
40 
48 
12.19.32 
45 
70 
Vaso-motor centre 
irritated indirectly 
for nine seconds. 
Dubois’s coil at 16. 
12.24.36 
54 
94 
12.24.51 
45 
120 
Vaso-motor centre 
directly irritated 
for six seconds. 
Dubois’s coil at 5. 
In Exp. VIII. I have tried to see if the 
alkaloid paralyzes the vaso-motor centre. 
Unlike aconitia, it does not, either to direct 
or indirect irritation. It is quite probable 
that enormous doses might do so; but that 
large doses do so is not tenable. This ex- 
periment also confirms the view that this 
poison does not act on the sensory nerves 
or the spinal cord. 
Exp. IX.—Rabbit. Tracheotomy; curare ; 
artificial respiration ; carotid and jugular pre- 
pared ; all cardiac nerves in neck are cut; 
cord cut between the atlas and occiput; hem- 
orrhage checked by bovista. 
Mr. Lewin explains the want of rhythm 
after aconitia by an action at dissimilar 
times and unequal in strength upon one or 
the other intracardiac nervous apparatus, 
probably produced by an unequal division 
of the alkaloid in the blood. It is difficult 
to see how an unequal distribution of this 
poison in the circulatory system can occur. 
It cannot be through any change in the cor- 
onary vessels, as the same paroxysms occur 
in a frog’s heart, which has been shown 
by Hyrtl to be devoid of blood-vessels. 
Certainly in the case of lycoctonia high 
Time. 
Pulse. 
Pressure, 
P.M. 
54 
52 
2.08.15 
Lycoctonia .1 grm, 
42 
S2 
2.08.30 
37 
34 
2.08.45 
26 
28 
2.O9.30 
33 
19 
2.I5-I5 
30 
22 
In the ninth experiment the heart is 
entirely freed from its afferent and efferent 
nerves. Here the same change takes place, 
—that is, fall of pulse and of pressure. PHYSIOLOGICAL ACTION OF LYCOCTONIA. 
5 
pressure does not irritate the inhibitory- 
mechanism, and atropin does not prevent 
the want of rhythm. Either one must as- 
sume that atropin does not completely 
paralyze all the inhibitory ganglia, or that 
lycoctonia antagonizes it. 
3* That it paralyzes the motor nerves. 
4. That it does not affect the sensory 
nerves, spinal cord, or the striated muscles. 
5. That it reduces the blood-pressure and 
pulse without any previous rise of the for- 
mer as produced by aconitia. 
6. That the decreased pulse-rate and 
pressure are due to an action on the intra- 
cardiac nervous apparatus. 
7. That the pneumogastrics are para- 
lyzed only by large doses. 
8. That the delirium cordis produced 
by small doses is due to a change in the 
mechanism of the nervous apparatus of 
the heart. 
To my mind neither explanation is suf- 
ficient. The recent experiments of Bow- 
ditch, Luciani and Kro- 
necker, seem to be near the discovery of 
the real cause. 
The following expresses my conclusions 
in regard to this poison : 
1. Lycoctonia is a weaker toxicant than 
aconitia. 
2. That it kills mainly through the re- 
spiratory apparatus. 
Physiological Laboratory of the 
University of Pennsylvania. Fig. 2.—Pulse-curve of rabbit seven seconds after injection_of .1 gramme of lycoctonia; curare; artificial respiration. 
Fig. x.—Pulse-curve of rabbit just before injection; artificial respiration; curare. 
Fig. i. 
Fig. 2. 
6 Fig. 3. 
Fig. 4. 
Tigs. 3 and 4.—The delirium cordis of rabbit produced by small doses of lycoctonia. 
7