DICOTYLEDONS 137 



great energy ; fortunately animals will not touch 

 it. The plant should be regarded as suspicious ; 

 though no case of actual poisoning is known. 



Foxglove {Digitalis purpurea). — This hand- 

 some wild-flower, to be found in nearly every 

 county, as well as cultivated, affords a valuable 

 medicinal drug. 



All parts of the Foxglove are poisonous, but the 

 seeds are richest in the deleterious principle. The 

 leaves are more active before flowering than after- 

 wards. Under cultivation the principle is less 

 active than in wild plants. 



Neither drying nor boiling destroys the poisonous 

 principle. 



Several cases of poisoning by Foxglove have 

 arisen from ignorant persons making an infusion or 

 " tea " of the leaves ; but cases have occurred of 

 careless administration of the drug. 



No animal, not even goats, will ever browse 

 upon the Foxglove. 



Foxglove, or Digitalis, is so powerful in its 

 action that, as Dr. Hogg observes, as a medicine 

 it should never be administered unless by a skilful 

 and practised hand, because of the danger result- 

 ing from an imprudent use of it. One of its 

 peculiarities is that, after having been given in 

 moderate doses for several days without apparent 

 efl*ect, it sometimes acts suddenly with an accu- 

 mulated influence, even to the danger of life. 



