426 Mr. Schomburgk on the Indian Arrow Poison* 



latter by those of Mr. Waterton in England, and several phy- 

 sicians in Demerara. The juice of the Cassada becomes in- 

 nocent by being boiled, that of the Urari becomes poisonous 

 after it has been concentrated by the action of fire : should 

 the poisonous principle of the Jatropha manihot be entirely 

 volatile ? The Cassaripe is the concentrated juice of the Ja- 

 tropha manihot^ and is used as fish-sauce and for many culi- 

 nary purposes, while in its pure state it proves poisonous to 

 animal life ; what then can cause the difference ? I am not 

 aware whether experiments have been made by inoculating 

 animals with the juice of the nux vomica in its pure state, and 

 likewise after having been concentrated. 



Sir Walter Raleigh says, in his second Guiana voyage, 

 " There was nothing whereof I was more curious than to find 



out the true remedies of these poisoned arrows And it is 



more strange to know that in all this time there was never 

 Spaniard, either by gift or torment, that could attain to a true 

 knowledge of the cure, although they have martyred and put 

 to invented torture I know not how many of them.'^ Raleigh 

 recommends garlic as an antidote where the wound has been 

 inflicted with an arrow of the ordinary poison, and advises 

 them to abstain from drink, ^^ for if they take any liquor into 

 their body, as they shall be marvellously provoked thereunto 

 by drought, I say, if they drink before the wound be dressed, 

 or soon upon it, there is no way with them but present death.^^ 

 Irai, a Carib chieftain of the Rupununi, and the last descend- 

 ant in direct line of the Cacique Mahanarawa, so far confirms 

 Raleigh's account, that the thirst which ensues after a wound 

 has been inflicted is intolerable. He pretended that the in- 

 fusion from the root of a species of Wallaba [Dimorpha, W.), 

 mixed with sugar, or the juice of sugar-cane, was an antidote. 

 There is not much dependence to be placed on this remedy. 

 While in Curasawake in 1838, we secured several Kings of 

 the Vultures [Sarcorhamphus Papa) alive. A female which we 

 had for several weeks succeeded in escaping out of the place 

 where she was kept, and flew to a neighbouring tree. 1 was 

 loath to lose her, and resolved to shoot her with weakened 

 Urari poison. It took effect, and she fell from the tree. We 

 immediately applied juice of the sugar-cane, but without 

 avail ; and after having lingered for half an hour, she died un- 

 der convulsions. Humboldt observes, that an application of 

 salt internally and to the wound would be found of importance; 

 and Mr. Waterton informs us, that an ass which was poisoned 

 by Wourali recovered by inflating his lungs with a pair of bel- 

 lows*. In the ^ Annals of Philosophy,' vol. xv. p. 389, we 

 * Waterton's ' Wanderings/ p. 83. 



