Online Encyclopedia

part of which the six stamens are inserted. The ovary is three-celled, and lies at the bottom of this tube. The leaves are three or four in number, See also:

FLAT (a modification of O. Eng. flet, an obsolete word of Teutonic origin, meaning the ground beneath the feet)

flat, lanceolate, erect and sheathing; and there is no See also:

STEM (O. Eng. staefn, stemn, cf. Du. stain, Ger. Stamm, &c., probably related to " staff ")

stem. See also:

PROPAGATION

Propagation is by the formation of new corms from the See also:

PARENT, SIMON NAPOLEON (1855– )

parent corm, and by seeds. The latter are numerous, See also:

ROUND (O. Fr. rond, Lat. rotundus, the Fr. is the source also of Du. rond; Ger., Swed., Dan. and Nor. rond)

round, reddish-See also:

brown, and of the See also:

SIZE

size of See also:

black See also:

MUSTARD

mustard-seeds. The corm of the meadow-saffron attains its full size in See also:

JUNE

June or See also:

early in See also:

JULY

July. A smaller corm is then formed from the old one, See also:

close to its See also:

root; and this in See also:

SEPTEMBER (Lat. septem, seven)

September and See also:

OCTOBER

October produces the crocus-like flowers. In the succeeding See also:

JANUARY

January or See also:

FEBRUARY

February it sends up its leaves, together with the ovary, which perfects its seeds during the summer. The See also:

young corm, at first about the See also:

DIAMETER (from the Cr. &a, through, µErpov, measure)

diameter of the See also:

flower-stalk, grows continuously, till in the following July it attains the size of a small See also:

APRICOT (from the Lat. praecox, or praecoquus, ripened early, coquere, to cook, or ripen; the English form, formerly " apricock " and " abrecox," comes through the Fr. abricot, from the Span. albaricoque, which was an adaptation of the Arabic al-burquk, i

apricot. The parent corm remains attached to the new one, and keeps its See also:

FORM (Lat. forma)

form and size till See also:

APRIL

April in the third See also:

YEAR

year of its existence, after which it decays.

In some cases a single corm produces several new See also:

PLANTS

plants during its second See also:

SPRING (from " to spring," " to leap or jump up," " burst out," O. Eng., springau, a common Teut. word, cf. Ger. springer, possibly allied to Gr. QnrFpxecOac, to move rapidly)

spring by giving rise to immature corms. C. autumnale and its numerous varieties as well as other See also:

SPECIES

species of the genus, are well known in cultivation, forming some of the most beautiful of autumn-flowering plants. They are very easy to cultivate and do not require lifting. The most suitable See also:

SOIL

soil is a See also:

LIGHT

light, sandy See also:

LOAM (O.E. lam; the word appears in Dut. leem and Ger. Lehm; the ultimate origin is the root lai-, meaning " to be sticky," which is seen in the cognate " lime," Lat. limus, mud, clay)

loam enriched with well decomposed manure, in a rather moist situation. The corms should be planted not less than 3 in. deep. Propagation is effected by See also:

SEED (from the root seen in Lat. serere, to sow)

seed or increase of corms; the seed should be sown as soon as it is ripe in June or July. Colchicum was known to the Greeks under the name of KoXxuu6v, from Ko\Xis, or See also:

COLCHIS

Colchis, a See also:

COUNTRY (from the Mid. Eng. contre or contrie, and O. Fr. cuntree; Late Lat. contrata, showing the derivation from contra, opposite, over against, thus the tract of land which fronts the sight, cf. Ger. Gegend, neighbourhood)

country in which the plant See also:

GREW, NEHEMIAH (1641-1712)

grew; and it is described by Dioscorides as a See also:

POISON

poison. In the 17th See also:

CENTURY (from Lat. centuria, a division of a hundred men)

century the corms were worn by some of the See also:

German peasantry as a See also:

CHARM (through the Fr. from the Lat. carmen, a song)

charm against the See also:

PLAGUE (in Gr. Xotµos; in Lat. pestis, pestilentia)

plague. The See also:

drug was little used till 1763, when See also:

Baron Storck of See also:

Vienna introduced it for the treatment of See also:

DROPSY (contracted from the old word hydropisy, derived from the Gr. 154w¢; i Swp, water, and appearance)

dropsy. Its use in febrile diseases, at one See also:

time extensive, is now obsolete. As a specific for See also:

GOUT

gout colchicum was early employed by the See also:

ARABS

Arabs; and the preparation known as eau medicinale, much resorted to in the 18th century for the cure of gout, owes its therapeutic virtues to colchicum; but See also:

general See also:

ATTENTION (from Lat. ad-tendo, await, expect; the condition of being " stretched " or " tense ")

attention was first directed by See also:

Sir Everard See also:

Home to the use of the drug in gout. For medical purposes the corm should be collected. in the early summer and, after the See also:

OUTER

outer coat has been removed, should be sliced and dried at a temperature of 130° to 1500 F.

The See also:

CHIEF (from Fr. chef, head, Lat. caput)

chief constituents of colchicum are two alkaloids, colchicine and veratrine. Colchicine is the active principle and may be given in full form in doses of to 3 g See also:

GRAIN (derived through the French from Lat. granum, seed, from an Aryan root meaning " to wear down," which also appears in the common Teutonic word " corn ")

grain. It is a yellow, micro-crystalline See also:

POWDER (through O. Fr. puldre, modern poudre, from Lat. pulvis, pulveris, dust)

powder, soluble in See also:

WATER

water, See also:

ALCOHOL

alcohol and See also:

CHLOROFORM (trichlor-methane), CHC13

chloroform, and forming readily decomposed salts with acids. It is the methyl ester of a neutral See also:

BODY

body colchicein, which may be obtained in See also:

white acicular crystals. The See also:

OFFICIAL (Late Lat. QJicialis, for class. Lat. apparitor, from officium, office, duty)

official dose of powdered colchicum is 2 to 5 grains, which may be given in a cachet. The See also:

BRITISH

British See also:

PHARMACOPOEIA (lit. the art of the OapµaK07robbs, or drug-compounder)

Pharmacopoeia contains (r) an See also:

EXTRACT (from Lat. extrahere, to draw out)

extract of the fresh corm, having doses of 1 to r grain, and (2) the Vinum Colchici, made by treating the dried corm with See also:

SHERRY

sherry and given in doses of To to 30 minims. This latter is the preparation still most generally used, though the presence of veratrine both in the corm and the seeds renders the use of colchicine itself theoretically preferable. The dried ripe seeds of this plant are also used in See also:

MEDICINE

medicine. They are exceedingly hard and difficult to pulverize, odourless, See also:

BITTER, KARL THEODORE FRANCIS (1867– )

bitter and readily confused with black mustard seeds. They contain a volatile oil which does not occur in the corm, and their proportion of colchicine is higher, for which See also:

REASON (Lat. ratio, through French raison)

reason the Tinctura Colchici Seminumdose 5 to 15 minims—is preferable to the See also:

WINE (Lat. vinum, Gr. oivos)

wine prepared from the corm. At See also:

PRESENT

present this otherwise excellent preparation is not standardized, but the See also:

SUGGESTION

suggestion has been made that it should be standardized to contain o• r % of colchicine. The salicylate of colchicine is See also:

STABLE

stable in water and maybe given in doses of about one-thirtieth of a grain.

It is often known as Colchi-Sal. See also:

PHARMACOLOGY

Pharmacology.—Colchicum or colchicine, when applied to the skin, acts as a powerful irritant, causing See also:

LOCAL

local See also:

pain and congestion. When inhaled, the powder causes violent See also:

SNEEZING (0. Eng. fneosung, from fneosan, to sneeze, cf. Dutch fniezen, allied to the obsolete neeze, and ultimately to be referred to root seen in Gr. irveiv, to breathe; the initial s is due to association with numerous words, such as snort, snuff, snor

sneezing, similar to that produced by veratrine itself, which is, as already stated, a constituent of the corm. Taken internally, colchicum or colchicine markedly increases the amount of bile poured into the alimentary See also:

canal, being amongst the most powerful of known cholagogues. Though this See also:

ACTION

action doubtless contributes to its remarkable therapeutic See also:

POWER [WILLIAM GRATTAN] TYRONE (1797-1841)

power, it is very far from being an adequate explanation of the virtues of the drug in gout. In larger doses colchicum or colchicine acts as a most violent gastrointestinal irritant, causing terrible pain, See also:

COLIC (from the Gr. K6Aov or KwAov, the large intestine)

colic,vomiting, See also:

DIARRHOEA (from Gr. &Q, through, pfw, flow)

diarrhoea, See also:

HAEMORRHAGE (Gr. atµa, blood, and prryvvvac, to burst)

haemorrhage from the bowel, thirst and ultimately See also:

DEATH

death from collapse. This is accelerated by a marked depressant action upon the See also:

heart, similar to that produced by veratrine and See also:

ACONITE (Aconitum)

aconite. Large doses also depress the See also:

NERVOUS

nervous See also:

SYSTEM

system, weakening the anterior horns of See also:

grey See also:

MATTER

matter in the See also:

SPINAL

spinal See also:

CORD (derived through the Fr. corde, from the Lat. chorda, Gr. xop(5rt, the string of a musical instrument)

cord so as ultimately to cause See also:

COMPLETE

complete See also:

PARALYSIS, or PALSY (from Gr. aapal,6a , to relax; Wycliffe has palesy, and another old form of the word is parlesy)

paralysis, and also causing a partial insensibility of the cutaneous nerves of See also:

TOUCH (derived through Fr. toucher from a common Teutonic and Indo-Germanic root, cf. " tug," " tuck," O. H. Ger. zucchen, to twitch or draw)

touch and pain. The action of colchicum or colchicine upon the kidneys has been minutely studied, and it is asserted on the one See also:

hand that the urinary solids are much diminished and, on the other hand, that they are markedly increased, the specific gravity of the secretion being much raised. These assertions, and the See also:

TOTAL

total inadequacy of the pharmacology of colchicum, as above detailed, to explain its specific therapeutic See also:

PROPERTY

property, show that the See also:

SECRET (Lat. secretum, hidden, concealed)

secret of colchicum is as yet undiscovered. The See also:

SOLE (Solea)

sole but extremely important use of this drug is as a specific for gout. It has an extraordinary power over the pain of acute gout; it lessens the severity and frequency of the attacks when given continuously between them, and it markedly controls such symptoms of gout as See also:

ECZEMA (Gr. EKE a, a cutaneous eruption)

eczema, See also:

BRONCHITIS

bronchitis and See also:

NEURITIS (Gr. veupov, nerve)

neuritis, whilst it is entirely inoperative against these conditions when they are not of gouty origin.

Despite the general recognition of these facts, the pharmacology of colchicum has hitherto thrown no light on the See also:

PATHOLOGY (from Gr. raBos, suffering)

pathology of gout, and the pathology of gout has thrown no light upon the manner in which colchicum exerts its unique See also:

INFLUENCE (Late Lat. influentia, from influere, to flow in)

influence upon this disease. Veratrine is useless in the treatment of gout. A further curious fact, doubtless of very See also:

GREAT

great significance, but hitherto lacking See also:

INTERPRETATION (from Lat. interpretari, to expound, explain, inter pres, an agent, go-between, interpreter; inter, between, and the root pret-, possibly connected with that seen either in Greek 4 p4'ew, to speak, or irpa-rrecv, to do)

interpretation, is that the See also:

ADMINISTRATION (Lat. administrare, to serve)

administration of colchicum during an acute attack of gout may often hasten the oncoming of the next attack; and this property, See also:

FAMILIAR (through the Fr. familier, from Lat. familiaris, of or belonging to the familia, family)

familiar to many gouty patients, may not be affected by the administration of small doses after the attack. Altogether colchicum is a See also:

PUZZLE

puzzle, and will remain so until the efficient poison of gout is isolated and defined. When that is done, colchicine may be found to exhibit a definite chemical interaction with this hitherto undiscovered substance. In colchicum poisoning, empty the See also:

STOMACH (Gr. vrbsaxos from arbga, a mouth)

stomach, give white of See also:

egg, See also:

OLIVE (Olea europaea)

olive or See also:

SALAD (Med. Lat. salata, salted, pickled, salare, to sprinkle with salt)

salad oil, and water. Use hot bottles and stimulants, especially trying to counteract the cardiac depression by atropine, See also:

CAFFEINE, or THEINE (1.3.7 trimethyl 2 . 6 dioxypurin)

caffeine, strophanthin, &c.

End of Article: COLCHICUM

Additional information and Comments

There are no comments yet for this article.

» Add information or comments to this article.

Please link directly to this article:
Highlight the code below, right click, and select "copy." Then paste it into your website, email, or other HTML.

Site content, images, and layout Copyright © 2006 - Net Industries, worldwide.
Do not copy, download, transfer, or otherwise replicate the site content in whole or in part.

Links to articles and home page are always encouraged.

[back]
COLCHESTER, CHARLES ABBOT, 1ST BARON (1757-1829)

[next]
COLCHIS