68-2 
The history of this fetid, poisonous plant, dates back to about the fifth cen- 
tury before Christ. From the careful observations of many pharmacographists 
and historians, there seems little doubt that the Grecian State potion used at 
Athens as a mode of execution of those condemned to death by the tribunal of 
Areopagus, was principally, if not wholly, composed of the fresh juice of the leaves 
and green seeds of this plant. It is the xéveov which destroyed Thermanes, one of 
the thirty, Phocion, and Socrates, whose disciple he had been, Plato, in describing 
the potion, does not give it a specific name, nor mention its source, but terms the 
potion @apuaxor, which means any strong drug, and not necessarily a poisonous 
one. In the writings of Eratosthenes also, it appears that the words xwew xwveor 
mean to drink poison, and xwvewv aenxoxora, having drunk poison. Aélian states 
that Cean old men, who, when they had become useless to the State, and tired of 
the infirmities of life, invited each other to a banquet, after which they drank 
xaveov and died together. Although none of these accounts give the derivation of 
the potion, and notwithstanding the fact that Dioscorides’ description of the plant 
is too general to distinguish the umbelliferous species he refers to, yet there are 
‘important reasons why we should feel perfectly satisfied that the Grecian xwveov — 
was the Conium of our materia medica: first, Sibthorp says * that Conium grows 
plentifully between Athens and Magara, and that no other plant of near so violent 
qualities grows in Greece; secondly, Cicuta virosa—supposed, by those who doubt 
Conium being the origin of the potion, to be the x«avewr—does not grow in Greece. 
The cicuta of later writers, is a Latin name, applied by the Romans to any and 
all poisonous umbellifere, and even to other widely separate toxic plants; this 
term was unknown to the Greeks; thirdly, Dr. J. H. Bennett's case of poisonin 
by Conium gave symptoms almost identical with those given in the description of 
the death of Socrates; fourthly, later provings of Conium on man and animals, : 
all point to it as being answerable to the symptoms mentioned, Cicuta causes — 
convulsions even to opisthotonos, and sudden stiffness and immobility of the limbs; 
while Conium causes creeping muscular paralysis, with mayhap slight trembling, 
but no spasm ; lastly, the words of the man who prepared the potion: “ We only 
bruise as much as is barely sufficient for the purpose,” would seem to, indicate a 
simple; a man who spoke so clearly and definitely would hardly have used the 
word “bruise” had opium been added to the preparation, as some of the upholders 
of Cicuta claim, in trying to explain why spasms did not occur in this case. 
The first use of Conium in medicine is that of Dioscorides, who used it alec 
collyrium mixed with wine, and as a cataplasm in herpes and erysipelas. Pliny — 
states + that the leaves keep down all tumors; and Anaxilaus claims that by 
anointing the mammz they ceased to grow. Avicenna{ praised it as an agent 
for the cure of tumors of the breasts. It remained, however, for Baron Storck s 
(1760) to introduce Conium into more general use; he found it effectual in curing” 
scirrhus, ulcers, cancer, and many other chronic forms of disease. Bayle§ collected 
from various sources 46 cases of cancerous disease cured, and 26 ameliorated by 
the use of this drug. Conium has been recommended in jaundice, tic-douloureux, 
3 ee . : 
* Prod. Flor. Gr., i, 187. + Nat, Hist., b. xxvi, c. 16. + Lid. ii, 662. @ Bib. Therap.» th, 
