NAT. ORDER. — SOLANACE*. 177 



East Indies, while tlie vegetables which produced them were un- 

 known, or at least not botanically ascertained. 



By the judicious discrimination of Linnaeus, Uic Nux vomica was 

 found to be the fruit of the tree described and figured under the name 

 Cnmlam, now called Strijchms. The seed of the fruit or the berry 

 of this tree is the officinal Nux vomica ; it is flat, round, about an inch 

 broad, and near a quarter of an inch in thickness, with a prominence 

 in the middle on both sides, of a gray color, covered with a kind of 

 woolly matter, and internally hard and tough like horn ; the tnsie is 

 extremely bitter, but has no remarkable smell. It consists cliiefly of 

 a gummy matter, which is moderately bitter ; the resinous part is 

 rather limited in quantity, but intensely bitter ; hence rectified spirit 

 has been considered its best menstruum. 



Medical Properties and Uses. Nux vomica is considered one of 

 the most powerful poisons of the narcotic kind, especially to the bnite 

 creation; nor are instances wanting of its deleterious effects upon the 

 human system. It proves fatal to dogs in a veiy short time, as appears 

 by various authorities. It has also been found to prove equally poison- 

 ous to hares, foxes, wolves, cats, rabbits, and even some birds, crows, 

 ducks, &c. ; and one author relates a case of a hoi-se that died in four 

 hours after taking a drachm of the seed in a half roasted state. The 

 effects of this baneful diiig upon different animals, and even upon those 

 of the same species, appear to be rather uncertain, and not always in 

 proportion to the quantity of the poison given. With some animals it 

 produces its effects almost instantaneously ; with others not till alter 

 several hours, when laborious respiration, followed by torpor, trem- 

 blings, coma and convulsions, usually precede the fatal spasms, or te- 

 tanus, vni\\ which this drug commonly extinguishes life. 



From cases reported of its mortal effects upon human subjects, we 

 find the symptoms to correspond nearly with these which we have 

 here mentioned of brutes ; and these, as well as the dissections of 

 dogs, killed by this poison, have ever shown any injuiy done to the 

 stomach or intestines : this goes to prove that the Nux vomica ;uis 



