128 MEDICINAL HERBS AND POISONOUS PLANTS 



dingy, purple, bell-sluiped flowers, which hiter form large, 

 black, yhiuiug berries of attractive appearance (fig. SO). 



Foisonous Properties. — The berries are intensely 

 sweet, very attractive in appearance, and extremely 

 poisonous. Witli such a combination of properties it is 

 scarcely a matter of surprise that numerous fatal mis- 

 haps liave occurred. The berries, however, are the least 

 poisonous, the most active form of the poison being 

 found in the root. To add still further to the element 

 of danger, drying does not seem to alter tlie active pro- 

 perties of the poison. Henslow records tluit at tlie 

 beginning of last century 150 soldiers suffered at one 

 time after eating the berries of this plant; and it was 

 undoubtedly the berries of Belladoinia which were eaten 

 by the soldiers of Mark Antony, and Avliich caused them 

 to lose their memory and become insane. Recently a 

 young woman was brought to liospital after having, 

 when drunk, swallowed nearly an ounce of "eye-drops" 

 (4 grains atropine sulphate to the ounce). The face 

 was flushed, the lips were dry and blistered, whilst the 

 pupils were widely dilated and immobile. She became 

 delirious, but ultimately recovered. In some cases, even 

 an external application of a belladonna plaster has 

 been known to produce fatal results; the writer in liis 



own person can record a case which very nearly proved 



From the root the powerful alkaloid atropine is 

 obtained. It forms silky, prismatic, needle-like crystals, 

 which have a bitter, burning taste. 



Medicinal Prop<^rftes.— Belladonna is used for dilat- 

 ing the pupils, and also as a sedative, narcotic, and anti- 

 hydrotic. 



Dlstrih\ition.~^\\^ herb grows on most soils, but is 

 partial to a chalky or a limestone soil; often found 

 growing near ruiiis. Though found as a rare plant in 



