( 44) 
«© fick or the leat difordered i in his ftomach. The other eight being 
“ bled and vomited immediately, were foon well.” * 
At Clonmel, in Ireland, eight, boys miftaking this plant for water= 
parfnep, ate plentifully. of its roots: about four or five hours after, 
the eldeft boy became fuddenly convulfed, and died; and before the 
_next morning four of the other boys died i in a fimilar manner. Of 
the other three, one was maniacal feveral hours, apasber loft his hair 
and nails, but the third efcaped unhurt.” 
Stalpaart vander Wiel mentions two cafes of the fatal effects of | 
this root; thefe, however, were attended with great heat in the 
throat and ftomach, ficknefs, vertigo, and purging. They both 
died in the courfe of two or three hours after eating the root. ; 
Allen, in his Synopfis Medicine, alfo relates that four, children 
fuffered greatly by eating this poifon. In thefe cafes great agony was. 
experienced before the convulfions fupervened; vomitings likewife 
came on, which were encouraged by large draughts of oil and warm: 
water, to which their recovery is afcribed. . 
The late Sir William Watfon,° who cakes to the a sices here. 
cited, alfo fays that a Dutchman was poifoned by the /eaves of the 
plant boiled in pottage. 
It appears from various ativan that moft brute apps are not — 
lefs affected by this poifon than man ; and Mr. Lightfoot informs us that 
a {poonful of the juice of this plant, given to a dog, rendered him fick — 
and ftupid; but a goat was obferved to eat the plant with impunity. 
The great virulence of this plant has not however prevented it 
from being taken medicinally. In a letter from Dr. Poultney to Sir 
William Watfon,’ we are told that a fevere and inveterate cutaneous 
diforder was cured by the juice of the root, though not without 
exciting the moft alarming fymptoms. Taber in the dofe of a 
- f{poonful, in two hours afterwards the head was affected in a very 
extraordinary manner, followed with violent ficknefs and vomiting, 
cold fweats and rigors; but this did not deter the patient from con- 
tinuing the medicine, in fomewhat lefs doles, till it effected acure. . 
@ Phil. Tranf, vol. 44. ; > Ibid. 1. 
* Sir William likewife inform us, that Mr: Miller knew a whole family at Batterfea, who 
were poifoned with this plant. And that Mr. Ehret, while drawi Fag freth plant, was affeéted 
with univerfal uneaiinefs and vertigo, @ * Phil. Tranf, vol. : 
Cee CICUTA VIROSA. 
