VEKATRUM ALBUM. 213 



varies in its qualities, being woody, farinaceous, or spongy, in 

 different specimens. This is separated by a brown, fine, undu- 

 lating line from a thick woody ring, in which the root-fibres 

 take their origin. On the outside of this is a narrow but com- 

 pact brown epidermoid coat. The odour of the dried rhizome 

 is feeble, the taste is at first bitter, then acrid ; by keeping the 

 rhizome it is apt to become mouldy (Pereira, op. cit.) 



Physiological Effects.-*-!^. Schabel states that from his 

 own experience, and from those of Wepfer, Courten, Viborg, 

 Orfila, etc., he finds that Veratrum album is poisonous to all 

 classes of animals. It produces in every instance symptoms of 

 irritation of the. alimentary canal; it is very active, three grains 

 of the extract applied to the nostrils of a cat killed it in sixteen 



minutes (Christison). 



On man it acts as a powerful acrid irritant, causing violent 

 sneezing when applied to the nose, and sometimes epistaxis. In 

 Bust's Journal (Mag. fur die gesammte Heilkunde, xiv. 547) 

 an account is given of the poisoning of eight people by 

 this drug. The powder of the root had been put into some 

 bread instead of cumin-seed, and it was eaten for a week ; at 

 the end of that time they were attacked by violent pains in the 

 abdomen, a sensation as if the intestines were tied up in a knot, 

 swelling of the tongue, soreness of the mouth, and giddiness. 

 They all recovered after the use of laxatives. 



Horn (Archiv fur Mediz. Erfahrung, 1825) states that three 

 people took the root by mistake. The symptoms were : in about 

 an hour, burning in the throat, gullet, and stomach, followed by 

 nausea, dysuria, and vomiting ; weakness and stiffness of the 

 limbs; giddiness, blindness, and dilated pupil; great faintness, 

 convulsive breathing, and small pulse. One had imperceptible 

 pulse, stertorous breathing, and total insensibility, even to 

 ammonia held under her nose. Next day this case was 

 i .i • i *„j „n .j«„i. rt on/1 Viafl an primtion similar 



to flea-bites. They all recovered. 



(Beitrage zur gesicht. Arznei., iv. 47) quotes a fatal 



