a, Philadelphia. 



very hot, but even in winter, when both he and 

 the wood were cold. Hence it -appears, that 

 though a peribn be fecured againft the power of 

 this poifon for fome time, yet, that in length of 

 time, he may be affe&ed with it, as well as peo- 

 pie of a weaker conftitution. 



I HAVE like wife tried experiments of every 

 kind with the poifon tree on myfelf. I have 

 fpread its juice upon my hands, cut and broke 

 its branches, peeled off its bark, and rubbed my 

 hands with it, fmelt at it, carried pieces of it in 

 my bare hands, and repeated all this frequently, 

 without- feeling the baneful effects fo commonly 

 annexed to it; but I however once experienced, 

 that the poifon of the fumach was not entirely 

 without effedt upon me. On a hot e y in fum- 

 mer, as 1 was in fome degree of perforation, I 

 cut a branch of the tree, and carried it in my 

 hand for about half an hour together, and fmelt 

 at it now and then. I felt no effefts from it, 

 till in the evening. But next morning I awoke 

 with a violent itching of my eye-lids, and the 

 parts thereabouts ; and this was fo painful, that 

 I could hardly keep my hands from it. It ceafed 

 after I had wafhed my eyes for a while, with 

 very cold water. But my eye-lids were very 

 ftiff all that day. At night, the itching return- 

 ed ; and in the morning as I awoke, I felt it as 

 ill as the morning before, and I ufed the fame 

 remedy againft it. However, it continued al 

 moft for a whole week together, and my eyes 

 were very red, and my eye-lids were with dif- 

 ficulty moved, during all that time. My pain 

 ceafed entirely afterwards. About the fame 



time, 



