The Botanist's Companion Part 35

636. LACTUCA virosa. STRONG-SCENTED WILD LETTUCE.--The juice of this plant is a very powerful opiate, and care should be taken how it is made use of. I have not heard of any dangerous effects having been produced by it. The strong and disagreeable scent and bitter nauseous taste will most likely always operate as a preservative to its being used for food; and as a medicine, it is hoped its use will be confined to the judicious hand of a medical botanist.

Plantae affines.

All the kinds of garden lettuce; but it may be distinguished by its spines on the back of the leaves. It may be remarked, that the milky juice of all lettuce has similar properties to the above; but the juice is not milky till such time as the plant produces seed-stalks, and then the taste in general is too nauseous for it to be eaten.

637. SOLANUM Dulcamara. BITTERSWEET.--The berries of this plant have been sometimes eaten by children, and have produced very alarming effects. It is common in hedges, and should be at all times as much extirpated as possible.

638. SOLANUM nigrum. DEADLY NIGHTSHADE.--Webfer has given us an account of some children that were killed in consequence of having eaten the berries of this plant for black currants. And others have spoken of the direful effects of the whole plant so much, that, from the incontestable proofs of its deleterious qualities, persons cannot be too nice in selecting their pot-herbs, particularly those who make a practice of gathering from dunghills and gardens Fat-Hen, &c. as there is some distant similitude betwixt these plants, and their places of growth are the same.--Curtis's Fl. Lond. fasc. 2.

Plantae affines.

All the Chenopodia grow with this plant wild, and are somewhat alike in appearance; but the Solanum may at all times be distinguished by its disagreeable strong scent.

FOETID POISONS.

These come near to the Stupefying Poisons; but they are not treated in the same manner; for ether, wine, or acids combined with spirits, appear the properest things to destroy their deleterious properties: spices are then indicated, except for savine, which requires instead thereof acids.

639. CONIUM maculatum. HEMLOCK.--Two soldiers quartered at Waltham Abbey collected in the fields adjoining to that town a quant.i.ty of herbs sufficient for themselves and two others for dinner when boiled with bacon. These herbs were accordingly dressed, and the poor men ate of the broth with bread, and afterwards the herbs with bacon: in a short time they were all seized with vertigo. Soon after they were comatose, two of them became convulsed, and died in about three hours.

Plantae affines.

Parsley differs from this except in size and colour of the leaves.

Celery is also much like this plant, and particularly so if found wild; but which, for reasons given before, should never be collected to be eaten.

Fool's parsley is very like it; and when the hemlock is in a small state, and this plant luxuriant, I have been in some doubt as to pointing out a perfect difference, especially when they are not in fructification. The spots on hemlock form generally a distinguishing mark.

640. DIGITALIS purpurea. FOXGLOVE.--A few months ago, a child was ill of a pulmonary complaint, and the apothecary had desired the nurse to procure a small quant.i.ty of Coltsfoot and make it a little tea; and accordingly the good woman went to a shop in London, where she procured, as she supposed, three pennyworth of that herb, and made a decoction, of which she gave the patient a tea-cupful; a few minutes after which she found symptoms of convulsions make their appearance, and sent for the apothecary: but who, unfortunately, was so totally ignorant of botany as not to know the plant, but supposing it to be Coltsfoot, after the infant died, took his leave, without ay remark further, than that the disorder which occasioned its death had arisen from some accidental and unusual cause. The nurse, however, did not feel perfectly satisfied of this fact, and carried the remainder of the herb to Apothecaries-Hall; and having applied there for information, was referred to Mr. Leffler, a gentleman who had from his botanical researches that season obtained the Sloanean prize; who told her the mistake. He also went and saw the body, and investigated the whole case in a way that has done that young gentleman great credit; and from him I have been favoured with this account. Had the medical attendant but known the difference between the two plants when he was called in first, there was a chance of the child being saved to its distressed parents. And here was certainly a striking instance of medical men neglecting so far the study of botany, as not to know one of the most useful as well as one of the most dangerous plants of the present Pharmacopoeia.

641. h.e.l.lEBORUS foetidus. BEARSFOOT.--The country-people are in the habit of chopping up the leaves of this plant and giving it to children for removing worms; but it is a dangerous medicine, and should be made use of with great caution. It is also recommended as a medicine for the same purpose in horses. As much of the chopped leaves as will lie on a crown-piece, given amongst a feed of corn for three days, and remitted three days, and repeated thus for nine doses, has been known to remove this disease.

"I heard a melancholy story of a mother in this city; viz. that a Country Colleagh gave some of this plant to her two sons, one of six, the other of four years of age, to kill worms; and that before four in the afternoon they were both corpses."-Dr. Threlkeld, in a short account of the plants in the neighbourhood of Dublin.

642. JUNIPERUS Salvina. SAVINE.--The expressed juice of this plant is very poisonous, and often known to produce the most violent effects. It is sometimes used by persons for expelling worms in children, but should be used with great caution; for, if the quant.i.ty taken into the stomach is more than it can digest, all the dreadful effects of the poisons of this cla.s.s are certain to be the immediate consequence.

643. SCROPHULARIA aquatica. WATER-BETONY.--Every part of this plant is said to be violently narcotic; but its very disagreeable strong scent and extremely bitter taste render it not likely to be used in mistake for any culinary vegetable; and although we know what its effects are from report, we do not think it of so dangerous a tendency as some of our poisonous vegetables.

DRASTIC POISONS.

These purge both upwards and downwards with great violence by means of their acrid poisonous resin, which also violently affects the throat and pa.s.sages. Although alkalies have been recommended in this case, in order to divide this resin, and that a solution of soap is proper, yet the vegetable acids are also very useful, and have a great effect in diminishing the purgative effect. Besides this, it appears still more advantageous to give astringents: Venice treacle, decoctions of bark or cascarilla, pomegranate rind, and balaustines; all which certainly precipitate this drastic principle.

644. ASCLEPIAS syriaca. SYRIAN DOGSBANE.--All the species of Asclepias have a white acrid juice which is considered poisonous. It is observed to be very acrid when applied to any sensible part of the mouth or throat.

645. BRYONIA alba. WILD VINE, or WHITE BRYONY.--The berries of this plant, when hanging on the hedges, have the appearance of white grapes, and have been eaten by children. They are known to produce dreadful effects; but it frequently happens that they produce nausea on the stomach, by which they operate as an emetic of themselves.

646. EUPHORBIA Lathyris. CAPER SPURGE.--A plant common in old gardens, but not indigenous. The seed-vessels are much in shape of caper-buds: hence its name. People have been in the habit of pickling these berries, from which some dangerous symptoms have arisen; it is probable that the vinegar may have been the means of checking its bad effects. It should, however, never be used as food.

647. EUPHORBIA amygdaloides. WOOD SPURGE.--The juice of this plant has been known to produce very dangerous swellings in the mouth and throat of persons who have occasionally put it into their mouths. We do not know that it is very dangerous; and nothing is likely to tempt any persons to use it as food or otherwise.

648. MERCURIALIS perennis. DOG'S MERCURY.--This plant is of a soporific deleterious nature, and is said to be noxious to both man and beast.

Many instances are recorded of its fatal effects.

Mr. Ray acquaints us with the case of a man, his wife, and three children, who were poisoned by eating it fried with bacon: and a melancholy instance is related in the Philosophical Transactions, Number CCIII., of its pernicious effects upon a family who ate at supper the herb boiled and fried. It produced at first nausea and vomiting, and comatose symptoms afterwards; two of the children slept twenty-four hours; when they awoke, they vomited again, and recovered. The other girl could not be awakened during four days; at the expiration of which time she opened her eyes and expired.

Plantae affines.

It appears that the different species of Chenopodium have been mistaken for this plant. I do not see myself any very near likeness: but as all the species of Chenopodium have been called English Mercury, it is possible that the name may have been the cause of the mistake.