This substance subsides spontaneously from the juice of the fruit; and occurs in commerce in little thin cakes, or broken pieces, bearing the impression of the muslin upon which it is dried; its colour is greenish, its taste bitter, and somewhat acrid; and when tolerably pure it is light, pulverulent, and inflammable. Notwithstanding its extreme activity, it does not, according to our experiments,[[407]] contain more than a tenth part of active matter, which is a vegetable proximate principle, sui generis, and to which we have given the name of Elatin. By treating the Elaterium with alcohol, this principle may be obtained; it imparts to the spirit a most brilliant, and beautiful grass green colour—but see our experiments upon this subject. The action of elaterium is that of a most violent drastic cathartic, especially affecting the rectum. It destroys life by its local action, and consequently finds a place in the third division of our classification.
Colocynth. Coloquintida; Bitter Apple.
This is the fruit of the Cucumis Colocynthis (Monœcia Monodelphia, Nat. Ord. Cucurbitaceæ) an annual of Turkey and Nubia. It is of the size of an orange, of a yellowish-white colour, devoid of smell, round, dry, light, spongy, and smooth on the outside, when ripe; it is trilocular, each cell containing many ovate, compressed, whitish seeds, enveloped by a white spongy pulp. It is imported into this country, after having been peeled, and dried in a stove. Its taste is extremely bitter and acrimonious. It acts upon the human body as a powerfully drastic purgative. Fordyce,[[408]] relates the case of a woman who was subject to colics for the space of thirty years, in consequence of having taken an infusion of this fruit in beer. Tulpius[[409]] has also furnished us with an account of the tremendous effects produced by an overdose of the same article; and Orfila has shewn, with his usual accuracy, that it acts not only locally upon the primæ viæ, but by being absorbed, and carried into the circulation.
Euphorbium. Euphorbia Officinarum (Dodecandria Trigynia. Nat. Ord. Tricoccæ Lin. Euphorbiæ Juss.)
This gum resin is imported from Barbary, in drops, or irregular tears; its fracture is vitreous; it is inodorous, but yields a very acrid, burning impression on the tongue. Its acrid constituent resides exclusively in that portion which is soluble in alcohol. This poison has been sometimes administered imprudently as a purgative when it has produced vomiting, and bloody stools. Lamotte speaks of a clyster prepared with it, which proved fatal. It acts as a caustic upon the textures with which it comes in contact, and thus destroys life by a local action; indeed its nature is so acrid that when applied to the hair, or to warts, it causes them to fall off. Scopoli mentions the case of a person who, having the eye-lids closed, allowed them to be rubbed with the juice of this plant; in consequence of which inflammation followed, and the sight was lost. In pulverizing the gum-resin, the parmaceutist should take the precaution of previously moistening it with vinegar, or the powder will rise, excoriate his face, and excite violent inflammation of the eyes. There are many species[[410]] of Euphorbium, or spurge, which are highly poisonous; and, being indigenous, they have frequently proved the cause of mischief; during the last summer the author was consulted on the occasion of a family of children having been seized with a violent inflammation of the eyes, and eruption on the face, when the phenomenon was very satisfactorily traced to the action of the Euphorbia peplus, which was growing very luxuriantly in the garden where the children had been playing.
Savine.
Juniperus Sabina. (Diæcia Monadelphia—Nat. Ord. Coniferæ.)
This shrub is a native of the south of Europe and the Levant; but has been long cultivated in our gardens. The leaves and tops of the plant have a strong, heavy, disagreeable odour, and a bitter, hot taste, with a considerable degree of pungency; qualities which depend upon the presence of an essential oil. Upon the animal system it acts as a very powerful stimulant, and has been received into the list of the materia medica, as an active emmenagogue; while it has long enjoyed, amongst the vulgar, the reputation of being capable of producing abortion.[[411]] Upon this point we have only to observe, that it does not exert any specific action on the uterus; but as a violent medicine, acting upon the general system, it might, in common with other stimulants, produce so much disturbance as to be followed by abortion. The experiments of Orfila have shewn that savine exerts a local action, but that its effects depend principally on its absorption, through which medium it acts on the nervous system, the rectum, and the stomach.
Aconite. Monkshood.
Aconitum Napellus (Polyandria Trigynia—Nat. Ord. Multisiliquæ, Linn. Ranunculaceæ, Juss.)
There are several species of aconite, all of which are poisonous. The monkshood is a well known plant, met with in our gardens, and when swallowed in any quantity will produce the symptoms, characteristic of vegetable poisons. All the parts of aconite, in the fresh state, when chewed, produce a sense of heat, and shortly afterwards a sensation of numbness in the lips and gums, which does not subside for several hours.
In ancient authors, we frequently meet with aconite as a poison, but it has been fairly questioned whether any particular plant was designated by the term[[412]]; like that of cicuta, it seems to have been a word expressive of poisons generally. The most powerful form in which this vegetable poison exists is in that of extract, or inspissated juice[[413]], and, if prepared according to the improved process of Mr. Barry,[[414]] it will prove highly dangerous in small doses. M. Orfila relates several fatal accidents from the ingestion of this plant; his experiments have also shewn that it will produce its effects by an external application. We agree, however, with Mr. Brodie in considering that it acts, without being absorbed, on the brain, through the medium of the nerves; and we have accordingly placed it in the first division of our classification.