The Ervum ervilia, or Bitter-vetch, which is not a native of this country, has also been found in France to possess analogous properties. In 1815, according to Virey, a great variety of herbs grew up with the grain, in consequence of the wetness of the summer; and their seeds were thus subsequently mixed with the wheat and rye. Among these he particularizes the bitter-vetch as peculiarly noxious, because it produces so great weakness of the extremities, but especially of the limbs, that the individual trembles while standing, and totters when he walks, or even requires the help of stilts; and he adds, that horses are similarly affected, so as to become almost paralytic.[[2504]]
The Cytisus laburnum, or laburnum tree, is another plant of the same family, which yields poisonous seeds. The whole plant is more or less deleterious. But it is chiefly the seed that has attracted attention hitherto.
I am not acquainted with any experiments relative to the action of the seeds on animals.—Its effects on man present considerable variety, and show that it is a true narcotico-acrid. In some instances they seem to have been purely narcotic. My colleague Dr. Traill has communicated to me two cases of this nature. In one of these, that of a child two years old, the first evident effects were sudden paleness and a fit of screaming, followed immediately by insensibility, and then by coldness of the whole body and lividity of the face; but vomiting having been induced by warm water and mustard, the seeds were discharged, the symptoms abated, and next day he was quite well. The other case was that of a boy who was left by his companions at Dr. Traill’s door in a state of complete insensibility, with froth at the mouth and a feeble pulse. An emetic, administered immediately, brought up a large quantity of laburnum seeds; after which the pulse became firmer, and sensibility quickly returned.—Mr. North has briefly noticed a similar case of a child, who after eating laburnum flowers, was seized with paleness and twitches of the face, coldness of the skin, laborious breathing, efforts to vomit, and great feebleness of the pulse. But recovery took place after the flowers were vomited.[[2505]]—In other instances the effects have been chiefly limited to an irritant action on the stomach and bowels. Dr. Bigsby of Newark informs me that a few years ago a little girl in his neighbourhood, in consequence of eating the seeds, was attacked with violent vomiting and purging, and became in other respects very ill, but recovered in forty-eight hours.—Most generally, however, the effects are partly irritant, partly narcotic. In 1839 Dr. Annan of Kinross communicated to me the case of a little boy, who in an hour after swallowing a small quantity of unripe seeds, was attacked with violent vomiting and ghastly expression of countenance, and then fell into a very drowsy state, from which he was constantly roused by shaking him and dashing cold water on his body. But for a month afterwards he continued subject to vomiting and diarrhœa.—Mr. Bonney of Brentford has related the particulars of eleven cases, which presented all the varieties of poisoning with the seeds. The subjects were children from seven to nine years of age; and they took, some of them one seed, and none more than five. Three scarcely suffered at all. One vomited the poison and got well at once. Of the others, some had only nausea and feebleness of the pulse, another had also dilatation of the pupils, some had vomiting and purging, others great drowsiness, others again both sets of symptoms. In all the pulse was weak and generally rapid. Emetics, laxatives and ammonia were administered with success.[[2506]]
The leaves of this plant are stated by Vicat, a good authority, to possess the property of acting violently as an emetic and purgative;[[2507]] and Cadet says the unripe pods have been known to produce in small quantities severe vomiting, and profuse, protracted diarrhœa.[[2508]]
My attention was lately turned by a criminal trial in this country to the effects of the bark, which is not alluded to as a poison by any author, although its properties seem well known to the peasantry in the north of Scotland. A lad Gordon was tried lately at Inverness for administering poison to a fellow-servant, and it was proved that he gave her laburnum-bark in broth. She immediately became very sick, and was soon attacked with incessant vomiting and purging, pain in the belly, rigor, and extreme feebleness; and several days elapsed before she could return to her work. The sickness, vomiting, purging and pain continued afterwards to recur more or less; great emaciation ensued; in six weeks she was so much reduced as to be compelled to quit service; and even six months afterwards, she continued so ill with a chronic dysenteric affection, that fears were entertained for her life, although eventually she did recover. Being consulted in the case, I was inclined to rely in the general properties of the plant and the peculiar, intense, nauseous bitterness of the bark, even more intense there than in the seeds, as adequate proof that the bark was capable of producing the effects observed in this case. I was scarcely prepared, however, to find it so deadly a narcotic poison, as it proved to be on careful experiment. Dr. Ross of Dornoch, who saw the woman and was also consulted on the part of the crown in the case, found that from twenty to seventy grains of dried laburnum-bark caused speedy and violent vomiting when administered to dogs, but no other marked effect. I found that when an infusion of a drachm of dried bark was injected into the stomach of a strong rabbit, the animal in two minutes began to look quickly from side to side, as if alarmed and uncertain in which direction to go, then twitched back its head two or three times, and instantly fell on its side in violent tetanic convulsions, with alternating opisthotonos and emprosthotonos so energetic that its body bounded with great force upon the side up and down the room. Suddenly in half a minute more all motion ceased, respiration was at an end, and, excepting that the heart continued for a little to contract with some force, life was extinct. No morbid appearance was visible anywhere. The heart was gorged, but irritable. Dr. Ross subsequently repeated this experiment, and obtained analogous results; but the animals he operated on did not die for half an hour or upwards.[[2509]]
MM. Chevallier and Lassaigne have discovered in the seeds an active principle called cytisin, a nauseous, bitter, brownish-yellow, neutral, uncrystallizable substance, of which small doses killed various animals amidst vomiting and convulsions, and eight grains taken by man in four doses brought on giddiness, violent spasms, and frequency of the pulse, lasting for two hours, and followed by exhaustion.[[2510]]
A great number of Brown’s division Papilionaceæ of the present natural family probably possess similar properties.
CHAPTER XLI.
OF POISONING WITH ALCOHOL, ETHER, AND EMPYREUMATIC OILS.
The last group of the narcotico-acrids comprehends alcohol, ether, and the oleaginous products of combustion.