103 



proportion of azote. It quickly undergoes decomposition when ex- 

 posed to tlie air, giving out ammonia, and becoming a dark, resin- 

 ous-like substance. 



The discoverer inferred, from a few experiments chiefly made 

 on birds, that this principle, which may be termed Conia, from the 

 genus of plant whence it is obtained, possesses active poisonous 

 properties ; that it produces coma, convulsions, and depressed ac- 

 tion or even paralysis of the heart ; and that its poisonous qualities 

 are greatly impaired by combination with acids. The author, how- 

 ever, has been led to conclude, from au extensive set of experi- 

 ments on the higher orders of animals, — that the eflFects of Conia on 

 the body are increased rather than diminished by neutralization 

 with an acid, such as the muriatic ; that it does not produce coma 

 when administered either free or combined ; that it does not act at 

 all on the heart ; that it possesses a local irritant action, and that 

 its remote action consists simply in the production of swiftly in- 

 creasing paralysis of the muscles, ending fatally by asphyxia from 

 palsy of the muscles of respiration. He farther found it to be a 

 poison of exceeding activity, scarcely inferior indeed in that respect 

 to hydrocyanic acid- Two drops applied to a wound, or introduced 

 into the eye of a dog, rabbit, or cat, will sometimes occasion death 

 in ninety seconds ; and tiie same quantity injected in the form of 

 muriate into the femoral vein of a dog killed it in three seconds at 

 farthest. The author added various reasons for doubting the pro- 

 bability of any chemical antidote being discovered ; and suggested 

 artificial respiration as the most probable remedy, founding on an 

 experiment in which the heart was maintained in a state of vigo- 

 rous action for a long time by artificially inflating the lungs. 



An abstract was then given of a set of comparative experiments 

 made with extract of hemlock ; from which he inferred that the ac- 

 tion of hemlock is identical with that of Conia. Very powerful ex- 

 tracts were used, which had been prepared with absolute alcohol 

 from the leaves or seeds. The effects ascribed by some toxicolo- 

 gical authors to hemlock were not observed ; but simply paralysis, 

 with intermittent slight convulsions. From this identity of action 

 it may be concluded, that Conia is really the active principle of 

 hemlock, or at least contains it in large quantity, and is not the 

 product of chemical action and new arrangements of elements. 



Some remarks were appended as to the probable nature of the 

 State-poison used in ancient times, particularly in Athens, for de- 

 spatching criminals ; which has commonly been held to be a prepa- 



