CICUTA VIROSA. 173 
and in some cases convulsions, preceding death. ‘The mucous 
membranes were found congested, and dark fluid blood in the 
sinuses of the brain. Wepfer(1.c.) mentions the case of a man who 
had eaten largely of the root, being found with his face greatly 
swollen, and his eyes protruding, breathing with great diffi- 
culty, and foaming at the mouth. He was seized with a severe 
epileptic. fit, his limbs assumed a tetanic stiffness; there was 
spasmodic breathing, with perfect unconsciousness, which state 
was soon terminated by death. ‘The only marked appearances 
were fluidity of the blood, and patches of redness on the mucous 
membrane of the stomach. 
Four children, between five and seven years of age, ate 
the roots of this plant instead of parsnips; within half an 
hour they were all seized with extreme nausea, burning 
pain at the epigastrium, and colicky pains in the bowels. 
They all complained, on reaching home, of sickness, for which 
warm milk was given them. Efforts to vomit were induced ; 
in one there was full vomiting, but in the other three nothing 
was ejected from their stomachs. In two of them the pains 
gradually increased, and in about two hours from the time 
of their eating the roots they were labouring under complete 
coma, with tetanic convulsions, the jaws rigidly fixed, pro- 
found stertor, and the whole face puffed and bloated, having 
precisely the appearance of the head of a person who had been 
some hours under water ; pulse intermitting, sometimes imper- 
ceptible. Emetics were given without effect, but enemata of 
castor-oil and oil of turpentine were employed, with great 
relief. One of the children died in three hours, the others 
recovered” (Badgeley, Montreal Med. Gaz., June, 1844). 
Dr. Schleiser met with the following case :—A girl, aged 
eight, had eaten this plant; was found quite insensible, her 
respiration was feeble and rattling, the pulse soft, small, and 
scarcely perceptible, the pupils dilated and fixed, the face 
pallid, limbs flaccid, abdomen distended, and there was general 
coldness of the surface, with an entire loss of the power of 
