The Botanist's Companion Part 34

ACRID POISONS.

These should be attacked by strong decoctions of oak-bark, gall-nuts, and Peruvian bark; after which soft mucilaginous matters should be used, as milk, fat broth, or emulsions.

628. ACONITUM Napelhus. BLUE MONKSHOOD.--This is a very poisonous plant; and many instances have been adduced of its dangerous effects.

It has probably obtained the name of Wolfsbane, from a tradition that wolves, in searching for particular roots which they in part subsist upon in winter, frequently make a mistake, and eat of this plant, which proves fatal to them.

A weaver in Spitalfields, having supped upon some cold meat and salad, was suddenly taken ill; and when the surgeon employed upon this occcasion visited him, he found him in the following situation:--"He was in bed, with his head supported by an a.s.sistant, his eyes and teeth were fixed, his nostrils compressed, his hands, feet, and forehead cold, no pulse to be perceived, his respiration short, interrupted, and laborious."

Soon after he had eaten of the above, he complained of a sensation of heat affecting the tongue and fauces; his teeth appeared loose; and it was very remarkable, although a looking-gla.s.s was produced, and his friends attempted to reason him out of the extravagant idea, yet he imagined that his face was swelled to twice its usual size. By degrees the heat, wich at first only seemed to affect the mouth and adjacent parts, diffused itself over his body and extremities: he had an unsteadiness and la.s.situe in his joints, particularly of the knees and ancles, with an irritable twitching of the tendons, which seemed to deprive him of the power of walking; and he thought that in all his limbs he perceived an evident interruption to the circulation of the blood. A giddiness was the next symptom, which was not accompanied with nausea. His eyes became watery, and he could not see distinctly; a kind of humming noise in his ears continually disturbed him, until he was reduced to the state of insensibility before described.

Plantae affines.

Although the mischief which is recited above occurred from the root having been purchased at market, I do not know of any vegetable in common use likely to be confounded with this. It might by chance be mistaken for the smaller tubers of Jerusalem artichoke.

In foliage it comes near to the other species of Aconitum, and to the perennial Larkspurs.

However, as this is a plant much grown in pleasure-grounds on account of its beautiful blue flowers, great care should be taken not to use any roots taken from such places that cannot be well ascertained.

629. ACONITUM Lycoctonum. YELLOW WOLFSBANE.--Every part of this plant is accounted poisonous. In fact, I think it is proper that all the species should be considered as such, and never be made use of, either in medicine or otherwise, without great care in their administration.

630. ACTAEA spicata. BANEBERRY.--This plant is also considered as a deadly poison; but we have no authentical accounts of its mischievous effects, although Parkinson has mentioned it in these words:--

"The inhabitants of all the mountaines and places wheresoever it groweth, as some writers say, do generally hold it to be a most dangerous and deadly poison, both to man and beast; and they used to kill the wolves herewith very speedily."

This is not a common plant, growing only in some particular situa-tions, as near Ingleborough in Yorkshire.

631. RHUS Toxicodendron. POISON-ASH.-The juice of the leaves of this plant is so very acrid as often to corrode the skin, if the leaves are gathered when the dew is on them. Great care should certainly be taken in the giving such a medicine internally, as also in its preparation, it being usually administered in a dried state.

Planta affinis.

Rhus radicans differs from this in having a more trailing habit of growth; otherwise it is scarcely different, so little so, as to baffle a distinction being made by description alone.

STUPEFYING POISONS.

The substances that deaden the effects of the poisons of this cla.s.s are vegetable acids, which should be thrown into the stomach in large quant.i.ties. After the operation of emetics, cream of tartar is also considered of great use, as also oxymuriatic acid, infusions of nut-gall, oak bark; warm spices are considered also of use, for they may separate some part of the deleterious matter, as is shown by their effect when mixed with decoction of these plants; acerb and astringent wines are also of great use.

632. AETHUSA Cynapium. FOOL'S PARSLEY.--Fool's Parsley seems generally allowed to be a plant which possesses poisonous qualities. Baron Haller has taken a great deal of pains to collect what has been said concerning it, and quotes many authorities to show that this plant has been productive of the most violent symptoms; such as anxiety, hiccough, and a delirium even for the s.p.a.ce of three months, stupor, vomiting, convulsions, and death.

Where much parsley is used, the mistress of the house therefore would do well to examine the herbs previous to their being made use of; but the best precaution will be, always to sow that variety called Curled parsley, which cannot be mistaken for this or any other plant. We might also observe, that the scent is strong and disagreeable in the aethusa: but this property, either in the plant or the poison, is not at all times to be trusted in cases of this nature.

Plantae affines.

Parsley. The lobes of the leaves are larger in this plant, and are not quite so deep a green. The leaves of fool's parsley are also finer cleft, and appear to end more in a short point.

Celery, being much larger, cannot easily be confounded with it.

Chervil. Fool's parsley, when young, differs from this plant but very little, being much the same in size, and the laciniae of the leaves of a similar form. Chervil, however, is much lighter in colour, and the flavour more pleasant, both to the taste and smell.

Hemlock is commonly a larger plant; and, exclusive of the generic distinctions, may be generally known by its spotted stalk.

When fool's parsley is in bloom, it is readily known by the length of the involucrum.

633. ATROPA Belladonna. DEADLY NIGHTSHADE.--Some boys and girls perceiving in a garden at Edinburgh the beautiful berries of the deadly nightshade, and unacquainted with their poisonous quality, ate several.

In a short time dangerous symptoms appeared; a swelling of the abdomen took place; they became convulsed. The next morning one of them died, and another in the evening of the same day, although all possible care was taken of them.

Another case is related by Dr. Lambert, who was desired to visit two children at Newburn, in Scotland, who the preceding day had swallowed some of the berries of the deadly nightshade. He found them in a deplorable situation. The eldest (ten years of age) was delirious in bed, and affected with convulsive spasms: the younger was not in a much better condition in his mother's arms. The eyes of both the children were particularly affected. The whole circle of the cornea appeared black, the iris being so much dilated as to leave no vestige of the pupil. The tunica conjunctiva much inflamed. These appearances, accompanied with a remarkable kind of staring, exhibited a very affecting scene. The symptoms came on about two hours after they had eaten the berries: they appeared at first as if they had been intoxicated, afterwards lost the power of speaking, and continued the whole night so unruly, that it was with much difficulty they were kept in bed. Neither of these ever recovered.

634. DATURA Stramonium. THORN-APPLE.--The seeds and leaves of the thorn-apple received into the human stomach produce first a vertigo, and afterwards madness. If the quant.i.ty is large, and vomiting is not occasioned, it will undoubtedly prove fatal. Boerhaave informs us, that some boys eating some seeds of the thorn-apple which were thrown out of a garden, were seized with giddiness, horrible imaginations, terrors, and delirium. Those that did not soon vomit, died.

635. HYOSCYAMUS niger. HENBANE.--Henbane is a very dangerous poison. The seeds, leaves, and root, received into the human stomach, are all poisonous.

The root in a superior degree produces sometimes madness; and if taken in large quant.i.ty, and the stomach does not reject it by vomiting, a stupor and apopleptic symptoms, terminating in death, are the usual consequences.

A case of the bad effects of the roots of this plant, which occurred in Ireland, is mentioned by Dr. Threlkeld. In the winter season, some men working in a garden threw up some roots which were supposed to be Skirrets, and those were cooked for dinner. About two hours after they were eaten, a person who partook of them was taken with an unusual la.s.situde, as if being much fatigued, heat and dryness both in the mouth an the throat, a giddiness accompanied with dimness of sight, and a partial stoppage in his urine. Several others who had eaten at the same table, as also servants who had partaken, were subjected to the like influence. Medical a.s.sistance being at hand, by the use of emetics they were relieved; but it was many days before the whole of them had recovered from those dreadful symptoms.

Two children having both eaten of the berries of this plant, the one a boy (who recovered) being taken ill, vomitted, and was supposed to have thrown them off his stomach: the other, a little girl, died in convulsions the next morning. As mothers and kindred souls do not like names to be made public in these cases, I cannot help feeling some desire to suppress a publicity of a fact in which a near and dear relative was materially interested. In justice, however, to the public, I must mention that I can vouch for the fact, and trust it may not pa.s.s without notice, so far as to let the berries be supposed anything but wholesome.

Plantae affines.

The idea of Skirrets being confounded with this plant, is, I think, erroneous, if it has leaves on, as they are not pinnated, and very different from it. When the Hyoscyamus is in bloom, it has curiously-formed flowers of an uncommonly disgusting hue. The scent of this plant, on bruising it, and its general appearance, render it almost impossible that any one should mistake it. The roots, in the winter season, when dest.i.tute of leaves, may, however, be mistaken for those of Parsnep, Parsley, Skirret, and many others of similar shape, and of which it is out of our power to give a distinguishing character.