8 OB SERVATIONS on 



four years and a half to thirteen years, by 

 their eating fome feeds they had gathered in 

 the fields, which they had miftaken for fil- 

 berts : by one of the capfules, Sir Hans 

 Sloane inftantly knew it to be that of the hy- 

 ofcyamus niger vulgaris (or the common 

 henbane) which bears fome grofs refemblance 

 to the hufk of a filbert, and the feeds are 

 like thofe of the poppy. The fymptoms 

 that appeared in all the four were, great 

 thirjft, giddinefs of the head, dimnefs of 

 fight, ravings, and profound fleeps which 

 laft in one of them continued two days and 

 two nights. Sir Hans ordered them all to 

 be bled, bliftered' in feveral places, and af- 

 terward purged with a medicine compofed of 

 eledl. linit. ol. amygd. dulc. flor. fulphur &, 

 fyr. flor. perfic. which operated both by^ vo- 

 mit and flool, and by this method they per- 

 fedly recovered *. 



The poifonous efFedts of henbane are now 

 fo well eftablidied, that no doubt of the fadl 

 can remain. In its operation and effeds it 



* Inflances of the violent operation of henbane are 

 given by Wepfer. De Cicu'ca Acuatica, p. 230, &c. 



