( »o ) 



lauro-cerafus, communicated by Dr. Madden, 

 phyfician at Dublin, to the Royal Society in Eng- 

 land, and afterv/ards repeated (m the year 1731) 

 and confirmed by Dr. Mortimer, F. R. S. by 

 which it appeared, that both the water and the 

 infufion brought on convulfions, palfy, and 

 death, when taken by the mouth, or anus *. 



Dr. Mead f fpeaks of the foregoing accident and 

 experiments in thefe terms : " A fmall quantity 

 of this water killed two wom.en, who drank it, very 

 Wdenly. Hereupon a learned phyfician, fur- 

 prized at the event, (this plant having never been 

 thought to be any wife noxiousj made Teveral ex- 

 periments with it upon dogs, v/hich were after- 

 wards, fomeof them^ repeated here, with the fame 

 fatal fuccefs." 



Dr. Mortimer affirms, " that laurel-water is 

 equally mortal with the bite of the rattle-fnake, 

 and more quick in its operations than any mineral 

 poifon." 



• See Philofophical Tranfaftions, No. 418, and 420, 

 f Mead on Poifons, Eflay v« 



Dr. 



