COCCULUS. 187 
The seeds in powder and decoction give rise to nausea, 
vomiting, and griping pains, hiccough and anxiety, followed by 
stupor and intoxication. The shell acts as an emetic; the 
kernel contains the picrotoxine, in which resides the poisonous 
qualities. 
The following cases of poisoning with this drug have been 
recorded. 
“A boy, aged twelve, swallowed two scruples of the com- 
position used for poisoning fish; it contained Cocculus indicus. 
In a few minutes he perceived an unpleasant taste, with burn- 
ing pain in the esophagus and stomach, not relieved by frequent 
vomiting, as well as pain extending over the whole of the 
abdomen. In spite of treatment, a violent attack of gastro- 
enteritis ensued, with much febrile excitement, followed by 
delirium and diarrhea, and he died the nineteenth day after 
taking the poison. On inspection, the vessels of the pia mater 
were found filled with dark-coloured liquid blood. In the 
abdomen there were all the marks of peritonitis in an advanced 
stage. The stomach was discoloured, and its parietes thinner 
and softer than natural” (Canstatt’s Jahresbericht, 1844, v. 293). 
“ A druggist, of fine sensibility and otherwise healthy, although 
recently convalescent from an acute disease, some years ago 
wished to ascertain the taste of the Cocculus seed, and as he 
considered it a powerful substance, he weighed out a single 
grain of it, but did not take quite half of this into his mouth, 
rolled it about with his tongue over his palate, and he had not 
swallowed it two seconds when he was seized with the most 
dreadful apprehensiveness. This anxiety increased’ every mo- 
ment; he became cold all over; his limbs stiff as if paralysed, 
with drawing pains in the bones and in the back. The symp- 
toms increased from hour to hour, until, after a lapse of six 
hours, the anxiety, the stupefaction, the senseless stupidity, and 
the immobility had risen to the greatest height, with fixed 
sullen look, ice-cold sweat on the forehead and the hands, and 
great repugnance to all food and drink ; at the slightest increase 
