320 



THE ALUMNI JOURNAL. 



poisoning by Chalidonium or Garden 

 Celandine, which is a violently acrid 

 narcotic and drastic poison, the cerebral 

 disorder being very great. It is very 

 similar in composition and properties to 

 Sanguinaria, and all that has been said 

 of that rhizome as a poisoning agent may 

 be applied to Chalidonium. Various 

 fatal poisoning cases are recorded in the 

 foreign journals, through overdosing. 

 It is even powerfully irritant to the ex- 

 ternal skin. 



Tanacetum vulgare L. or Tansy has 

 become very extensively spontaneous 

 along roadsides and in waste places. It 

 grows in extensive patches, often in 

 grassy places, but soon kills out the 

 grass and all other plants aud occupies 

 the ground exclusively. It is easily 

 recognized from the illustration, and by its 

 odor. The taste is bitter and disagree- 

 able and none are likely to eat it. But 

 the practice prevails of making a rude 

 tincture in spirits and otherwise using it 

 as a domestic remedy, in which way 

 poisoning accidents may occur. Most 

 frequently, however, they result from the 

 use of the oil as an abortifacient. The 

 symptoms are very largely abdominal as 

 well as cerebral, and are extremely pain- 

 ful. 



Absinthium is in a general way similar 

 in composition and properties as a poison, 

 though the symptoms are more largely 

 cerebral. Neither is it liable to be taken 

 except for medicinal purposes or as an 

 addition to spirits. As a result of the 

 latter, poisoning is usually chronic and 

 extremely difficult to cure. The plant is 

 very rare in this vicinity, occuring only 

 in isolated small patches. In all my 

 local collecting I have never encounter- 

 ed it. 



Several cases of fatal poisoning are 

 recorded from eating the stems of the 

 Cicuta. It is very probable that the 

 plant may occasionally be mistaken for 

 one of the Angelicas, the stems of which 



are so highly esteemed that they are 

 frequently "candied " in the fresh state 

 by confectioners. 



In this connection reference may be 

 made to the conium plant, the composi- 

 tion and properties of which are practical- 

 ly identical with those of Cicuta. Conium 

 is very scarce in this section, a few isolated 

 plants occasionally occurring in waste 

 places. Neither is the plant at all likely 

 to be eaten. 



This brings us to the considera- 

 tion of a group of deadly narcotic herbs, 

 consisting of Tobacco, Hemp, the two 

 Daturas, Henbane and Belladonna. 



Tobacco, Nicotiana Tabacum L,., may 

 be dismissed with a mere mention, as its 

 properties are so generally known. It is 

 very scarce hereabout, onl} occasional 

 plants being seen. 



The same may be said of Hemp, Can- 

 nabis sativa L,., the flowering tops of the 

 female plants of which yield an extract 

 well-known under the name of Hashish. 

 There is no likelihood of the plant being 

 eaten in poisonous quantity. 



Henbane (Hyoscyamus niger), Bella- 

 donna (Atropa Belladonna) and the 

 Daturas (D. Stramonium and D. Tatula) 

 with composition and properties almost 

 identical, may be considered together. 

 The first two are found in this section 

 only occasionally, as isolated plants, but 

 not so the Daturas- Both are very com- 

 mon and very abundant in all waste 

 places in and about the city. They are 

 very easily recognized as rank-smelling, 

 stout, tall, widely branching annuals, in 

 general habit resembling poke- weed, but 

 with large, inequilateral, very coarsely 

 toothed or lobed leaves, campanulate, 

 fragrant flowers 4 to 6 inches in length, 

 and half, or more, as broad, and large 

 sub-globular capsular fruits 2 or 3 inches 

 in diameter, armed with soft fleshy 

 spines and containing numerous small, 

 blackish, reniform, reticulate seeds. The 

 D. Tatula is distinguished by its more 

 strongly purple stems, purplish flowers, 



