516 ORD. XXVIII. Pomacee. prunus LAUROCERASUS, 
declared to be occasioned by this poison. In this case the active 
principle, of the Laurocerasus was concentrated by repeated dis- 
-tillations, and given to the quantity of an ounce; the suddenly 
fatal effects of which must be still in the recollection of the 
public. 
To brute animals this poison is almost instantaneously mortal, 
as amply appears by the experiments of Madden, Mortimer,* 
Nicholls,* Langrish,* Vater,* Fontana, and others. 
The experiments, conducted by these gentlemen, show, that 
the laurel-water is destructive to animal life, not only when taken 
into the stomach, but also on being injected into the intestines, © 
or applied externally to different organs of the body. It is re- 
marked by Abbé Fontana, that this poison, even “ when applied 
in a very small quantity to the eyes, or to the inner part of the 
" mouth, without touching the oesophagus, or being carried into 
the stomach, is capable of killing an animal in a few instants; 
whilst applied in a rhuch greater quantity to wounds, it has so 
little activity, that the weakest animals, such as pigeons, resist 
its action.” * 
The most volatile is the most active part of the Laurocerasus } 
and if we judge from its sensible qualities, an analagous principle 
seems to pervade many other vegetable substances, especially the 
kernels of drupaceous fruits; and in various species of the amyg- 
dalus, this sapid principle extends to the flowers and leaves 
It is of importance to notice, that this is much less powerful in 
its action upon human subjects than upon dogs, rabbits, pigeons, 
and reptiles. To poison man the essential oii of the Laurocerasus 
must be separated by distillation, as in the spirituous or common 
* Phil. Trans. 0. 37. p. 163. _ 
. 8g * Vide Langrish. Phil. experiments upon brutes, to which is added a course 
of experiments with the Laurocerasus. 
© Diss. de —— indole venenata. Also i in his Progr. de olet animal, 
contra hydrop 
* See Skinner’s Translution, ii. p. 180. 
