BS OBSERVATIONS on 



Dr. Rutty of Dublin, in a letter to Dr. 

 Mprtimer, dated May 17, J 73 2, after ob- 

 fervlng that feme people doubt the poifonous 

 properties of laurel water, thus proceeds : 

 *' I can now confirm that it really is poiibn- 

 ^* ous by the following inftance, the truth 

 *' of which you may be aiTured of. . At Li- 

 ^* fininy, in Weftmeath, a girl of eighteen 

 *' years of age, very well and healthy, took 

 5* a quantity lefs than two fpoonfuls of the 

 *' iirft runnings of the fimple water of laurel 

 ^* leaves; whereupon within half a minute 

 «* file fell down, was convulfed, foamed at 

 ♦* the mouth, and died in a fhort time, nor 

 *' «was there any fwellings in her body *." 



Having procured fome laurel water, I 

 made with it the following experiments : 



Experiment L 



March 17, 178 i. In the prefence of 

 Dr. Simfon, two ounces of laurel water were 

 given to a large ftrong dog. Two minutes 

 ^fter taking it, he appeared very uneafy, and 

 th^ mufcles of the back were affedled with 



* Phil. Tranfacl. N« 452, p. 63. 



fpafms. 



