74 RANUNCULUS. No. 80. 



+ 



■these plants is so powerful that it inflames and corrodes 

 the lips and tongue of men and cattle, acts as a violent 

 steruntatorv, and if swallowed, they bring on great pain, 

 heat, inflammation of the stomach, and even death. 

 Applied to the skin, thej produce redness, erosion, and 

 ulceration, but little pain : the beggars in Europe em- 

 ploy them to produce uglj sores and ulcers, w^hich are 

 neither painful nor dangerous, in order to excite com- 

 passion. When used for blisters, they operate in half 

 an hour, and never cause strangury like cantharides. 

 They however act very differently on different indivi- 

 duals, sometimes mild.ly and^beneficially, sometimes 

 violently, producing deep and bad ulcers, difficult to 

 heal- To prevent the effect from spreading, the blister 

 must be applied through a perforation in an adhesive 

 plaster. Like the poison of the Bhus^ it has hardly any 

 effect on some individuals, while in others it spreads 

 fast, inflames the parts, and even causes gangrene. 

 They have, however, often been used as external stimu- 

 lants, in rheumatism, hip disease, sciatica, piles, hemi- 

 crania, fixed pains, &c.j when applied to the scalp 

 for hemicranla, it tumifies the hair without breaking the 

 skin. A singular practice once existed in Europe, to 

 cure intermittent fevers by applying them to the wrists 

 or hands. They are useful to destroy warts, corns, and 

 wens, in veterinary, they are employed to cure the fis- 

 tulous ulcers, and biles on the bacK of horses. Although 

 very dangerous internally, the distilled water has been 

 used as an instantaneous emetic, equivalent to sulphate of 

 zinc, mustard, and pepper. Also as a powerful but un- 

 certain vermifuge. Henry mentions that the decoction 

 thrown on the ground, makes the ground worms used 

 in angling, come out of it. 



Schoepf says, that H. abortivtis is diaphoretic, and 

 used in syphilis along with Lobelia. The J?- auricomus 

 and other mild species arfe eaten in Europe as sallad, 

 and all the worst species, even E. sceleratus^ as greens, 

 lo&ing ail the acrid property by coction. Children are 

 fond of gathering and playing with the blossoms ; but 

 this practice may be attended with some d 



anger. 



