590 SOLANACEAE. 
then at 100° C., we found the gold content to be 80:518 per 
cent. The melting point of our gold salt was above 170° C. 
when heated in the dry state, The amount of alkaloid at our 
disposal was too small to admit of any attempt at fraction- 
ation. 
Toxicology.—Datura poisoning is common in India, the seeds 
being usually employed; a few cases of poisoning by the leaves 
and root have, however, been reported. In the great majority 
of cases the motive for its administration is facilitation of theft, 
and when in India an individual has been first drugged and then 
robbed, it will usually be found that datura has been employed. 
A common form of theft by aid of this poison is road robbery, 
and Dr. W. Center mentions the use in such cases of a hollow 
pestle, the cavity containing the seeds. Inversion of this 
while pounding the masaleh or spices always used in Indian 
cookery, introduces the poison into the food without exciting 
suspicion. It rarely happens that there is any ground for 
suspecting homicidal intent in cases of datura poisoning; in fact, 
there seems to be a popular belief in this country that the drug 
is simply an intoxicant. As Harvey remarks, road poisoners 
sometimes partake with their victims of the drugged food, 
which they would hardly do if aware of thedanger. Commonly, 
when datura is used for criminal purposes in India, the poison 
is -mixed with sweetmeats or food, but in exceptional cases it 
has been mixed with tcbacco given to the victim to smoke. 
_ Datura is said to be used by vendors of native liquor, 
for the purpose of increasing its intoxicating power, the liquor 
a g poured into a vessel which has been first filled with the 
smoke of the burning sceds. Suicidal poisoning by datura, if 
it occurs at all, is extremely rare. Accidental ne aie among 
children is occasionally met. with. — . Juris. for 
India.) 
: symptoms of poisoning by this plant the reader is 
roferred to the article ‘Spon Belladonna. 
sie use o% agen is so common 
: 
