A large detachment of French soldiers, halting near Dresden, ate freely of the belladonna berries. Shortly afterwards they were seized with nausea, thirst, dryness of the throat, difficult deglutition, insensibility of the eye, great dilatation of the pupil, delirium, and coma. Many of the men died before assistance could be rendered to them.
Post-mortem Appearances.—Congestion of the cerebral vessels, dilated pupils, red patches at different parts of the alimentary canal, and a dyed purple hue of the gastric mucous membrane, if the berries have been eaten, are the most common appearances.
Treatment.—Stimulant emetics, castor oil, and animal charcoal are the remedies to trust to.
Dr. Taylor refers to one case in which a young man poisoned himself with two grains of atropia. He took the dose on going to bed, was heard to snore heavily during the night, and was found dead at seven o’clock in the morning.
As a means of diagnosing poisoning by belladonna it has been recommended to introduce a few drops of urine into the eye of an animal, to see if dilatation of the pupil takes place.
Test.—There is no very certain test for Atropia beyond its effect on the pupils and on vision.
Stramonium (Datura Stramonium, Thorn-Apple) is an indigenous plant found in waste places. The fruit and seeds are the most poisonous parts of the plant. The active alkaloid, named Daturia, has properties resembling those of atropia, with which it would seem to be almost identical.
The poisonous effects of stramonium are the same as those of belladonna, and are to be relieved by similar remedies. When this drug is prescribed as a medicine it should be immediately discontinued if it produce dryness of the throat and dilatation of the pupils.
Dhatoora.—In India the seeds of the Datura alba, a plant which grows abundantly in most parts, are frequently used for the purpose of hocussing travellers, in order that they may be robbed with impunity. The seeds, which closely resemble those of the capsicum, are mixed with food, and give rise to total insensibility on the part of the recipient, often with noisy delirium or delusions. Death is not unfrequent after a large dose, although it would seldom seem to be administered for that purpose. Its effect may be for the time being to completely alter the disposition of the individual, and to cause him to give way to all kinds of foolish notions and antics.
Nightshade.—The Solarium dulcamara (Bittersweet, or Woody Nightshade) and the Solanum nigrum (Garden Nightshade) contain an active principle known as Solania. The red berries of the first-named plant, and the black berries of the second, have been eaten by mistake; and have given rise to great thirst, headache, giddiness, dimness of vision, dilated pupils, convulsions, vomiting, and purging. Orfila relates the cases of three children who died from eating the berries of the Solanum nigrum, after suffering from vertigo, dilated pupils, nausea, colic, stertorous breathing, and convulsions.