186 FLORA HOMGOPATHICA. 
with twenty parts of alcohol; apply a slight heat for twenty-four 
hours, and then dilute to the thirtieth attenuation. 
PuysiotoaicaL Errrcts.—-On Animals. It is poisonous 
to most animals. According to Orfila (Zor. Gén., vol. il. 
p. 410), it acts as an irritant, and imparts its deleterious 
effects to the flesh of animals or fish poisoned by it, but this’ 
depends on the quantity of poison used: when ten to fifteen 
grains were used, and the fish afterwards given to animals, 
the noxious effects were as strongly marked as if they had 
swallowed the poison (Ann. d’ Hyg., 1843, i. 848). All kinds of 
fish are killed by it, the barbel taking the longest to die. The 
symptoms on animals are, trembling gait; eyes protruding and 
haggard; agitation of the muscles, followed by convulsions and 
contortions of the whole body; falling backwards and forwards; 
opisthotonos; entire loss of consciousness; foaming at the 
mouth; tongue and gums livid; respiration quickened and 
laboured. These spasmodic symptoms remit for a few minutes, 
and then return with redoubled violence until death relieves. 
On opening the body after death, in the left ventricle of the 
heart was found a clot of blood of a brownish-red colour, of a 
tissue more compact than usual, and of a colour deeper in 
patches. In other cases, there was vomiting of yellow and 
liquid matter (Orfila, 1. c.) 
From these symptoms, Orfila (1. c.) considers that the Cocculus 
exerts its influence like camphor, on the nervous system, and 
more particularly on the brain; that the active parts of the 
poison is the picrotoxine; that when it is introduced slightly 
divided, it limits its effects to the production of nausea and 
vomiting ; and lastly, that the vomiting appears to be the best 
means to counteract the evil éffects whilst the poison remains in 
the stomach, . 
On Man.— From some accounts I have received from an 
excise-officer, who has been repeatedly subjected to beer adul- 
terated with it, its action appeared to be rather on the voluntary 
muscles than on the intellectual powers” (Pereira, |. ¢.) 
