MONK'S-HOOD. 137 



creatures. Theophrastus observes that the Aco- 

 nitum yields a poison which at some times causes 

 instant death, whilst at others its effects are lin- 

 gering, but certain. Fatal experience has so 

 sufficiently established its virulent nature in mo- 

 dern times, that it should be admitted with the 

 greatest caution into the garden, since we fmd 

 that some persons, only by taking in the effluvia 

 of the herb in full flower by the nostrils, have 

 been seized with swooning fits, and have lost 

 their sight for two or three days. 



The root of plants in general is the most pow- 

 erful part, and as some of the species of Aco- 

 nitum have roots which resemble those of the 

 horse-radish, accidents of a terrible nature have 

 occurred from mistaking the one for the other, 

 and a small portion is sufficient to cause instant 

 death. Matthiolus relates that a criminal was 

 put to death by taking only one dram of this 

 root. Dodonaeus gives us an instance which oc- 

 curred in his time, of five persons at Antwerp, 

 who ate of this root by mistake, and all died. 

 Dr. Turner also mentions that some Frenchmen 

 at the same place, eating the shoots of this plant 

 for Masterwort, all died in the course of two 

 days, except two players, who were saved by 

 emetics. Gerard tells us of a surgeon by the 

 name of Matthews, of Boston, in Lincolnshire, 



