No. 31. DATURA. 451 



to lessen sensibility and pain, to cause a kind of ner- 

 vous shock attended with some nausea, a feeling of 

 intoxication and suffocation, to have little influence 

 on the pulse, to relax the bowels, to dilate the eyes, 

 &c., followed by a sensation of ease and quiet, which 



L 



induces sleep. 



It has been too much extolled by some writers ; 



but the results of the numerous eases in which it has 

 been o-iven, are as follows: — In asthma, it is only a ^ 

 palliative, useful in the paroxysms, but useless in ple- 

 thoric cases, it is commonly smoked like Tobacco, 

 a practice likely to be attended with some danger, 

 and suitable only for smokers. In Mania it is of little 

 use except in some cases difficult to be ascertained; 

 but in Epilepsy and Convulsions it cures the periodi- 

 cal fits, while it avails not in the sudden fits. It is 

 hio-hly serviceable in Chronic acute diseases, such as 

 Sciatica, Syphilitic pains, disease of the spine, para- 

 plegia, Cancer of the breast, uterine pains, rheuma- 

 tism, &c., also in chorea and dysmenorhea, strangury 

 and Calculus, acting in all thosei cases as an antispas- 

 modic. In tic douleureux it has only afforded relief 

 in some cases, and has required repeated doses, but 



it has failed in otheis. 



Externally it is a safer and certain remedy for 

 burns, tumors, gout, ulcers, inflammations and some 

 cutaneous eruptions. The leaves or their ointment 

 are applied to the parts, they promote the granulations 

 or cicatrization of the worse ylcers, and afford speedy 

 relief in piles and painful hemorrhoidal tumors. Sur 

 geons use them topically to enlarge the pupil of the 



