Colchicine

“ Mandelin’s reagent (1 grm. of [410] ammonium vanadate in 200 grms. of sulphuric acid) gives a green colour.
§ 510. Pharmaceutical Preparations.—Colchicine itself is officinal in Austria—the wine in the British, French, and Dutch, and the seeds themselves in all the pharmacopœias. The wine of colchicum, officinal in nearly all the pharmacopœias, is made with very different proportions of seeds or bulbs.
The tincture of colchicum is officinal in our own and in all the Continental pharmacopœias; in the British, one part of seeds is exhausted by eight parts of proof spirit. ”

“ Macerate the bruised seeds in boiling alcohol, add magnesia, to throw down the alkaloid, digest the precipitate in boiling alcohol, and filter. By cautious evaporation colchicine will be deposited, and maybe purified by re-solution and crystallisation in alcohol.
Prop., &c. Odourless; bitter; soluble in water and alcohol; form salts with the acids. It is very poisonous. 1⁄10th of a grain, dissolved in spirit, killed a cat in 12 hours. It differs from veratria in being soluble in water and crystalline, and in the non-production of sneezing when cautiously applied to the nose. ”

“ COLCHICUM POISONING. Fodder of bad quality often contains leaves, flowers, and particularly seeds of colchicum, which produce nausea, vomiting, colic and diarrhœa. The colchicine acts particularly on the kidney and heart, producing specific disturbance, indicated by hæmaturia, polyuria, and cardiac palpitation, with lowering of the body temperature.
Even when poisoning is not fatal, it is very apt to produce abortion.
POISONING BY ANNUAL MERCURY. Annual mercury given in green fodder is stated to produce indigestion, diarrhœa, vesical and intestinal hæmorrhage, and early death. ”

“ There was an acid reaction of the [413] contents of the stomach. The lungs were moderately congested. The mucous membrane of the stomach of the one who died first was swollen and scarlet with congestion; with the second there was some filling of the vessels at the small curvature; while the stomachs of the third and fourth were quite normal. In 5 cases described by Roux there was also hyperæmia of the brain and kidneys, but no gastritis or enteritis. It is, therefore, evident that there are in man no constant pathological changes from colchicine poisoning. ”

“ The medicinal use of colchicum preparations for gout is comparatively recent and the knowledge of its value for that purpose is undoubtedly due to its success in a secret proprietary remedy. The authors of “Pharmacographia” give some interesting historical notes on Colchicum autumnale, L., or meadow saffron, which show how general was the belief in its deleterious qualities in both classical and mediæval times. Dioscorides alludes to the poisonous properties of Kolchikon, which he says grew in Messenia and Kolchis. Pliny and Galen likewise allude to colchicum as a poison. ”

“ Meadow-Saffron, or Colchicum, yields a drug still much prescribed, of which Turner uttered a caution in 1568. He says it is a drug to “isschew.” He warns those “syke in the goute” (for whom it was, and is, a standard remedy) that much of it is “sterke poyson, and will strongell a man and kill him in the space of one day.” Drugs must, indeed, have been administered in heroic measures at that time—if he really ever heard of such a case at first hand. It is from the corm, or bulb, of the plant that Colchicum is extracted. ”

“ The effects of colchicum on man, like those observed in animals, rather associate it with the acrid than with the narcotic poisons.
In the Edinburgh Journal a case is briefly noticed of a man who took by mistake an ounce and a half of the wine of the bulb, and died in forty-eight hours, after suffering much from vomiting, acute pain in the stomach, colic, purging, and delirium. [2285] —Chevallier has described a similar case arising from the wine of the bulb having been given intentionally as a poison. In a few minutes burning pain, urgent thirst, and frequent vomiting of mucus ensued ”

“ Veratrine is useless in the treatment of gout. A further curious fact, doubtless of very great significance, but hitherto lacking interpretation, is that the administration of colchicum during an acute attack of gout may often hasten the oncoming of the next attack; and this property, familiar to many gouty patients, may not be affected by the administration of small doses after the attack. Altogether colchicum is a puzzle, and will remain so until the efficient poison of gout is isolated and defined. ”

“ Our druggists supply an officinal tincture of Colchicum (Meadow Saffron) made from the seeds, the dose of which is from ten to thirty drops, with a spoonful of water; also a wine infused from the bulb, of which the dose is the same as that of the tincture, twice or three times a day; and an acetous extract prepared from the thickened juice of the crushed bulbs, of which from half to two grains may be given in a pilule, or dissolved in water, twice or three times a day, until the active symptoms are subdued, and then less often for another day or two afterwards. ”

“ The general symptoms produced by colchicum are—more or less burning pain in the whole intestinal tract, vomiting, diarrhœa, with not unfrequently bloody stools; but sometimes diarrhœa is absent. In single cases tenesmus, dysuria, and, in one case, hæmaturia have been noted. The respiration is usually troubled, the heart’s action slowed, the pulse small and weak, and the temperature sinks. In a few cases there have been pains in the limbs; cerebral disturbance is rare ”

“ Colcannon, kol-kan′on, n. an Irish dish, being a stew of pounded cabbage and potatoes with butter. [Cole, cabbage; cannon unknown.]
Colchicum, kol′chi-kum, n. a genus of Liliaceæ—the meadow saffron, its corm or seed used for gout and rheumatism. [L.,—Gr. colchicon, meadow saffron—Colchicus, relating to Colchis, the native country of the sorceress Medea.]
Colcothar, kol′kō-thar, n. a dark-red iron peroxide formed by calcining copperas.
Cold, kōld, adj. the opposite of hot: shivering: without passion or zeal: spiritless: unfriendly: indifferent: reserved.—n. ”

“ Under this medication the pain, tenderness, and swelling rapidly abate, and sometimes with an abruptness that is magical. As soon as the acute symptoms subside, the colchicum should be continued in smaller and less frequent doses until the fever and local tenderness subside. The use of quinia with small doses of colocynth after the colchicum has been discontinued helps to re-establish the strength and regulate the digestive functions. The patient should always be warned against the possible demoralizing effects of a speedy recovery from a serious disease. ”

“ Attention should also be called to the high dosage of colchicin, namely, 1⁄100 to 1⁄50 of a grain of the alkaloid, every three or four hours, the dose then to be “slightly reduced,” but continued for several days; or in chronic cases, 1⁄100 to 1⁄30 grain per day, continued indefinitely. This dosage appears high, if a really active preparation is used.
Finally, the name “Rheumalgine” encourages thoughtless and unscientific prescribing. If a mixture is used at all, the prescriber should be constantly reminded of its composition. ”

“ And the animal hot from work, on drinking very cold water, often gets colic. Then, too, a change of food, or a change from dry feed to green food or eating some root crop when the animal is not used to it, may bring on the disease.
Then, again, some horses and cattle are more given to colic than others. Some individuals are never troubled, and others are almost constantly under its influence. If much inflammation sets in, a very serious case is on your hands. Two kinds of colic are known—the spasmodic, a contraction, commonly known as cramps of the bowels ”

“ L. The ingredients in an oxymel should be of such a character, and in such proportions, as to produce a mixture of the proper consistence without evaporation.
Oxymel of Col′chicum. Syn. Oxymel colchici cormi, Oxymel colchici, L. Prep. (Ph. D. 1826.) Fresh corms (roots) of meadow saffron, 1 oz.; distilled vinegar, 1 pint (wine measure) ; macerate for 2 days, press out the liquor, filter, add of clarified honey, 2 lbs., and boil down the mixture to the consistence of a syrup, frequently stirring.—Dose, 1 to 3 dr., twice or thrice a day; in gout, rheumatism, dropsy, &c. ”

“ Hippocrates treats very sensibly of the colic pains which occur in summer, recommending for them emetics of tepid mulse and vinegar, warm clysters, the warm bath, fomentations, soporifics, and purgatives, according to circumstances. When the pains are seated in the lower part of the belly, he merely gives clysters and laxatives.
Galen gives a long list of preparations for colic. They consist principally of narcotics, such as opium, henbane, and mandragora, along with carminatives and aromatics, as anise, pepper, valerian, cinnamon, saffron, gentian, and the like. ”

“ Colick is generally a temporary disease; and with which some, much more than others, are afflicted at intervals. Inflammation of the intestines ileus, volvulus, enteritis; generally sudden assault of excruciating, fixed, and increasing pain, in some degree affecting the whole abdomen, but more pungent about the navel; with nausea, frequent vomiting of food and drink, and sometimes of intestinal feculence; obstinate costiveness, severe gripes, eructation, flatulence: the fever sometimes succeeding, sometimes preceding, the local pain ”

“ There are many opportunities for colic in the bottle-fed baby; for instance, dirty bottles, dirty nipples, careless cleansing of utensils used in the preparation of baby's food, improper mixtures, too much flour, the wrong kind of sugar, too much cream or too little water—all these things help to produce wind under pressure in the intestine, which is commonly known as colic. Underfeeding or overfeeding, too rapid feeding or too frequent feeding also contribute their mite in producing colic.
As a rule, the bottle-fed child is fed too often. ”

“ In many cases, when these horses have died, calculi have been found in some part of the alimentary canal. Habitual costiveness and the presence of calculi, are frequent causes of spasmodic colic. The seat of colic is occasionally the duodenum, but oftener the ileum or the jejunum; sometimes, however, both the cæcum and colon are affected. Fortunately, we are acquainted with several medicines that allay these spasms; and the disease often ceases as suddenly as it appeared.
Remedies.—Turpentine is one of the most powerful remedies, especially in union with opium, and in good warm ale. ”

“ Give ten to fifteen drops every hour, if necessary. A physic is indicated in the majority of cases of Colic for the purpose of removing irritants or obstructions from the intestines. Calomel, one to two grains, is a very efficient drug, while Castor Oil is given with great difficulty and it should be administered only where diarrhoea is a complication of Colic. Rectal injections of warm water is very beneficial in the treatment of intestinal obstructions. It is good practice to give a dog some vermifuge after an attack of Colic, as worms frequently produce it. ”

“ A case is noticed in Geiger’s Journal of poisoning with a decoction of some handfuls of the flowers, where death occurred within twenty-four hours, under incessant colic, vomiting and purging. [2296]
Doubts exist as to the degree of activity of colchicum. Some practitioners direct half an ounce of the tincture of the seeds to be given as a medicinal dose, [2297] even four times a day. [2298] Others administer from one to two drachms night and morning. According to more general experience, these are dangerous doses. Dr. ”

“ History—Colchicum seeds were introduced into medical practice by Dr. W. H. Williams, of Ipswich, about 1820, on the ground of their being more certain in action than the corm. [2621] They were admitted to the London Pharmacopœia in 1824.
Description—The seeds are of globose form, about 1⁄10 of an inch in diameter, somewhat pointed by a strophiole, which when dry is not very evident. They are rather rough and dull; when recent of a pale brown, but become darker by drying, and at the same time exude a sort of saccharine matter. They are inodorous even when fresh, but have a bitter acrid taste ”

“ The other two haue been thought by diuers to be Colchica, and so haue they called them, vpon no other ground, but that their flower is in forme and time somewhat like Colchicum, when as if they had marked them better, they might plainly discerne, that in all other things they did resemble Daffodils; but now the names of Colchicum luteum maius, & minus, is quite [78] lost, time hauing worne them out, and they are called by most Herbarists now adayes, Narcissus Autumnalis maior & minor, The greater and the lesser Autumne Daffodill. ”

“ From this relation, it will not appear surprising that we find several instances recorded, in which the Colchicumproved a fatal poison both to man, and brute animals. Two boys, after eating this plant, which they found growing in a meadow, died in great agony. Violent symptoms have been produced by taking the flowers. The seeds, likewise, have been known to produce similar effects. ”

“ Bilious colick is accompanied with severe pain in the stomach and intestines, nausea, sickness, vomiting of bile, costiveness, bitter taste on the tongue, anxiety, dejection of spirits, dysury, often flatulence. Its duration is short, but it is prone to return on any intemperance or irregularity; sometimes it ends in jaundice. Flatulent colick is distinguished by the pain being mobile, without much nausea or vomiting, or hard pulse and thirst, or fever; by considerable unusual{280} distention of the abdomen, and flatulent explosion upwards and downwards ”