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POISONOUS PROPERTIES OF EUPHORBIA CARACASANA. 285 
cold river-water, could not be relieved. At the same time I felt severe 
pain in the stomach, and during half an hour vomited no less than five 
times. Having meanwhile returned to town, I took an ounce of olive 
oil, and experienced no further inconvenience. 
But I was destined to discover another poisonous quality of this 
milk. Having washed my hands, I had not been careful enough in 
cleaning and drying out the washing-basin, so that some of the milk 
remained in it in a diluted state, and when afterwards I washed my 
face, it entered my eyes and occasioned a most painful inflammation, 
which, however, disappeared in the course of the same day after con- 
stant bathing them with sugar-water. The milk had no caustic influ- 
ence on my skin. Mr. Nichols was affected by the same small quantity 
of poison in a very different manner, as will be seen from his letter :— 
en discovering what at en Itookto be the Palo de Vaca (or Cow-tree) 
of Venezuela, but which eventually proved the Euphorbia Caracasana, Y 
tasted the milky juice, but at dese time felt no ill dit from it. I afterwards 
ayers that its action was not only nein on individuals, but that it was 
m uenced by the amount of food in the stom 
The » st morning I tasted it I had erii but the second visit (when 
gud by Mr. Ernst) was at daybreak, some hours before that meal. 
Soon after we had * ene the tree, I experienced a very annoying sensa- 
tion of gus on the e resulting in painful MU ur which con- 
siderably increased towards night, or at all events when the eyes remained 
closed. I enne. this to the atmosphere, which must have pe impreg- 
the 
fluid we were necessarily sufficiently close to inhale it. It was not until some 
forty-eight hours after this that I was to feel the real effects of it. I was then 
taken with violent purging pains, sometimes sudden and acute, whilst at others 
it was prolonged. It was buta momentary relief when nature had its way, the 
pain commenced immediately after each operation. I may well assert that I 
never before suffered so much internal pain, which lasted, more or less, dps 
hours was quite prostrated, caring only tó " down, and it was fully a 
before the final effects wore off.” 
These involuntary experiences led me to a more exact inquiry into 
the chemical and toxicological properties of the milk. Part of the 
contents of the bottle in which I had brought it from the mountains 
had coagulated, forming a fibrous cheese-like body, floating in the 
liquid residue. The specific weight of the milk is 0-97; it boiled at 
the same temperature as water. Under the microscope I saw in it 
