6 Colchicine 



should extend beyond strictly botanical descriptions and that his 

 primary interest should be in the medical ajjplication of plants. He 

 warned that Colchicon was a dangerous poison and compared it with 

 the mushroom that causes death (Fig. 1.3) . He was concerned that 

 this plant might be used by practitioners unaware of its poisonous 

 nature, and the effect of his careful descriptions and stern warnings 

 ^vas so profound that many followers avoided the use of Colchicon. 



5pcrbftb(umcn/ ^pinubdimcil/ Colchicon, Buibus 

 Agrcftis. <Sa\>. (vrjf. 



Cv> "p niiMujticn/t^.KhfHumcn/ /:»cib(IMumm / &\wfnf(h Colchicon, ^u^.Ufiii^^J^'^"'' 

 ^Bulbus AgreftiSjfiiiPttvctiikcbtc ^SMiimai/ Dni tovJ)fi\?n^2»lattfrnc^n(:fl)/viiiiD 



^■'latfcrDfr^^urpaii/ Dteman@riccl)ircNnD;uiinc:n cngcntlicbBuIbosnatnt/ ciufiina 

 nommcnKif; ficfcn|1crfinDt : toKh.»bcn kotcn<^d ana (^r^p.inncn f\oci^imittohtm^M 

 mfn / robtlccfjfc iBumlnJ DjcbcflciDct finDe mu braumobt i atvas fchwarttfdrbi^cn Dvin? 

 ten I rrcnn miin t>ie Ovtnbc abtf^ut I fo fmDt Die ^urijdn tvaf; I ^art / fiifj / t>oUcr to jfff / jbre 

 5C!tri?c(f<iif m Dcr miftcanrincr (Socmen PonwnDcn auff cin.^frffoDcrDvii? / DiirPurcbbiC 

 «2«{umctvacI>(1onbauf;bnrf)t. ^cv S^xrbilblumm wc\ci^Unvi(l m ^(^cma vnb ^olib\i\ 

 S)tcij3uri;clngc|Tcn/ tdDtmwicDiegifTttgctodjmamm/miftrur^npnDcrflccFcn.^Kfa^KM bre 

 Swut Kibftt trir aucf? aUctn Durumb bcfchncbcn / Pamit njcmjiiDt DJlTclbu^c / ohy |'(iiic'^"'"'^'i''' 

 ^urpcltit?inri|Tcn(Ucb'jn f?vUt Dcr '^»ll(t>cnt^nll■(?dnc)Tc / Dcnnctlicf>c turch )hrc fuff^lfnt 

 ti^ir^u »rcrDcn ^rrcidt. ^tDcrbic(c6(iSi)ft bnnicbf ttiiin bcqucmiicb Die ,?(r«ncn/Du DicKn 

 UMDcr Pic gtfftige ©chrdmm bcfcf>ricbcti troitcn finPt /.^iibmilcb i(ltiucb jiut PiinriCici; 

 Qctruncfcn/ alfoDa^ mv<nfcmfrvnit»frn^(rpnci) bcDvirrf/u'i? ilnhmilcbvcrbviti5cni(^. 



^:^b i; ^^?nv 



Fig 13 — Dioscorides' description of Cokhicum taken from the Kraoterbuch of Pedanius 

 Dioscorides, printed by J. Bringern, Frankfurt, 1610. Reproductions obtained tnrough court- 

 esy of John Crerar tibrary, Chicago, III. 



In spite of such warnings, Dioscorides believed plants were very 

 useful in the medical practice. Accordingly, other less poisonous 

 species were recommended. In one case he suggested the EpJiemeron 

 instead of the ColcJiicoii, particularly for those tumors that had not 

 yet spread into the body. The EplicDirron is now identified as Colchi- 

 cum linnulatutn. •*! which contains less colchicine than C. autum)wle, 

 the autvmui-flowering plant, his Colchicou."^' There can be no doubt 

 that his careful attention to species ditference distinguished him as a 

 great botanist. 



The Greek physicians at the beginning of the Clhristian era de- 

 veloped a distrust for Oriental medicine, notably the plants that were 

 used in drug traffic.-- This suspicion had been aroused as early as 

 the time of Hipjioci ates. Perhaps diere was some basis for their 

 doubt. If our assumption was correct that Kashmir hermodactyls 

 were introduced into this drug traffic from the Orient to the West, 



