1 88 THE FRUITS OF THE COUNTRY-SIDE 



ripening of the seeds turns more or less brown, and finally 

 dries and withers into a strong sepia colour. In one of 

 our examples in the illustration the capsule is green and 

 yet closed, and in the other we see its valves opening for 

 the approaching dispersion of the mature seeds, while the 

 section across the fruit shows how beautifully these seeds 

 are packed away in the capsule. The seeds, it will be 

 seen, are very numerous, and, if gathered ,in their ripe 

 state, germinate very freely in one's garden. They are 

 the most powerfully deleterious part of a very dangerous 

 plant, though those who are so foolish as to eat the seeds 

 or boil the leaves for dinner should scarcely throw all the 

 blame on the thorn apple. A case is on record of a 

 child who eat some of these seeds and subseq uently became 

 blind and mad, snapping at those about her and shrieking 

 terribly. 



The medical value of the thorn-apple has been 

 greatly extolled, but while such a plant, in the hands of 

 experienced and skilled practitioners, may prove of benefit, 

 the utmost caution is even then necessary in its use, while 

 in the hands of the ignorant it is very terrible in its effects. 

 In one case recorded in the medical books a man made a 

 decoction from two of the capsules, soaking them in milk, 

 and on dosing himself suffered from paralysis of the whole 

 body, and became delirious. After some hours he fell 

 into a sound sleep, and presently recovered his senses and 

 retained his life. It is probable that after this experience 

 he let thorn apple severely alone. It is not at all a plant 

 for amateur doctors to meddle with, but in the hands of 

 the physicians it has its uses, one of the best known of these 

 being the employment of its dried leaves for the relief of 



