38 NAT. ORDER. SOLANEjE. 



leaves, furnish us with numerous instances of their deleterious and 

 fatal effects, acting upon children, in all respects similar to those 

 of the Ati'opa belladonna. The number of these berries necessary 

 to produce deleterious effects, may probably depend upon the 

 state of maturity in which they are eaten. If not more than three 

 or four be swallowed, according to Haller's account, no very seri- 

 ous consequences are apprehended ; but, when a greater number 

 of the berries are taken into the stomach, scarcely half an hour 

 elapses before violent symptoms supervene ; snch as vertigo, deli- 

 rium, great thirst, painful deglution, and retching, followed by fu- 

 ror, stridor dentium, and convulsions ; the eyelids are drawn down, 

 the uvea dilated and immovable ; the face becomes red and tumid, 

 and spasms affect the mouth and jaw ; the general sensibility and 

 irritability of the body suffer such great diminution, that the stom- 

 ach often bears large and repeated doses of the most active emet- 

 ics, without being brought into action ; the pulse is small, hard, 

 quick, and subsultas tendinum, risus sardonius and coma, generally 

 precede death. The body being opened, inflammation will be 

 discovered in the intestines, mesentery and liver. We are informed 

 of a case where the stomach of a child was found eroded in three 

 places. It may be necessary to remark, that vinegar, taken freely 

 into the stomach, has been found very efficacious in obviating the 

 effects of this poison : evacuations should, however, in this case, 

 be always first promoted. 



Many other recent facts of the same kind might be quoted 

 from various publications. Ray found, by applying the leaves of 

 this plant near the eye, a remarkable relaxation of the uvea was 

 produced. Sauvages supposes that this was the plant which pro- 

 duced such strange and dreadful effects upon the Roman soldiers 

 during their retreat (under the command of Anthony) from the 

 Parthians. They are said to have " suflered great distress for 

 want of provisions, and were urged to eat unknown plants. 

 Among others, they met with an herb that was mortal ; he that 



