574 ; SOLANACEA. 
are frequent, such as jewels, flashes of coloured light, birds of 
brilliant plumage, and insects with enamelled wings. In other 
cases they have the hideous appearance of the phantasms of 
delirium tremens. Sometimes there is a total blindness of 
several days’ duration, and even after all mental disorder has 
subsided. The mind is apt to be filled with extravagant ideas ; 
there is often delirium, which is generally of a gay description, 
and which prevents sleep or disturbs it with fantastic dreams. 
Sometimes the patient is quite conscious of his illusion and 
delirium, but is without the power to control either of them. 
The latter may be characterized by the incessant repetition for 
hours of some habitual act or phrase; sometimes though rarely, 
it is violent, maniacal, and attended with injury to himself or the 
attendants; but, in general, poisonous doses of the drug give 
rise to active and, for the most part, joyous delirium. Itisa 
powerful anesthetic; in cases of poisoning by it ending in 
recovery there has been almost a total loss of sensibility of the 
skin, lasting for several days. It has no direct soporific 
operation. Belladonna in excessive dose renders the gait un- 
steady and staggering, producing numbness with trembling and 
jerking movements of the limbs; the patient unconsciously runs 
against objects in his way, or avoids encountering imaginary 
ones; he is unable to co-ordinate his movements or to pick up 
small objects. The pupil is dilated, the eyes bright, the voice 
husky, or deglutition, owing to dryness of the throat, is impos- 
sible; the bladder is paralyzed and the urine retained, or both 
this secretion and the fceces may be passed involuntarily. 
Ae oe eyelid is Sa to be Piece and may remain so for 
months. = and Maisch.) 
_ Symptoms exactly similar to these have frequently been 
seistetant in cases of datura-poisoning in India. ‘The action 
of belladonna on"the brain has been attributed to a deficiency 
= in that organ caused by stimulation of the vaso-motor 
iS nerves, but as var nots the carotids i is not followed -y: any of 
oe appears to 
t understood. 
