Natural History. 431 



rally, reproduced when the animals are left in pastures. Poultry 

 nourished by such grain, often lay eggs which are without shells ; 

 and M. Roulin conjectures, because the ergot causes a convulsive 

 contraction of the oviduct, which expels the egg before there has 

 been time for the calcareous matter to be secreted upon its surface. 

 This disease in the mais is not known, and does not exist in 

 Mexico or Peru ; and when grains attacked by it are conveyed 

 beyond Paramos, or the regions of eternal snow in the Cordilleras, 

 they may be used without inconvenience or danger. — Revue Ency. 

 xliii. 769. 



17. Poisoning by Strychnia. — M. Guibourt stated lately to the Aca- 

 demy of Medicine, that having observed a dog in violent convul- 

 sions, in consequence of eating one of the compound balls, containing 

 strychnia, or vomica-nut, which the police use to destroy wandering 

 animals, he forcibly made it swallow powdered nut-galls, when the 

 muscular convulsions immediately ceased ; ipecacuanha was then 

 given to the animal, but the latter could not vomit ; the next day 

 milk was given to it and manna ; after which the dog recovered. 

 M. Caventou said, that the infusion of galls was a very effectual 

 opponent to vomiting, and that he had observed it destroy the 

 power of emetic tartar. M. Orfila has already advised the admi- 

 nistration of this infusion, in cases of poisoning by opium and salts 

 of morphia. — Bull. Univ. C. xvii. 60. 



18. On Vegeto- Alkaline Poisons, and the Neutralization of their 

 Power. — In a memoir, read by M. Donne to the Academy of Sci- 

 ences, he states, that morphia, brucia, strychnia, &c, combine 

 with chlorine, iodine, and bromine, to form distinct compounds. 

 These are true chlorides, iodides, and bromides, and may be de- 

 composed by the acids, and the vegeto-alkalies separated It ap- 

 pears also that these compounds are innocuous in comparison with 

 their bases, and that the compounds of strychnia, when given in 

 doses of 2j grains, produced no effects on a dog, whilst half a 

 grain of pure strychnia killed a dog of much larger size. 



Experiments were then made to ascertain the power of chlorine, 

 iodine, and bromine, as remedies against the poisonous properties 

 of the substances mentioned ; and it was found, that if any of these 

 substances were injected into the stomach after strychnia, and in 

 such period of time as had not allowed of sufficient absorption 

 of the latter to produce death, then harm was prevented. In seven 

 experiments of this kind, where doses of one and two grains of 

 veratria had been given, the animals were saved from death by ad- 

 ministering tincture of iodine. Once death took place when the 

 antidote was given eight or ten minutes after the poison ; and in 

 another case the tincture of bromine given immediately after the 

 administration of a grain of strychnia, failed to save the animal. 



When the innocuous compounds of strychnia were decomposed by 



