144 VALUE OF THE ARISTOLOCHIA INDICA. 



" A Cobra, to the great alarm of his servants, had taken up its abode in a mound of earth, 

 formed by white ants, in the vicinity of his house. A party of Snake-catchers having one day 

 made their appearance in the village, Mr. Breton was afforded the opportunity of getting rid 

 of the reptile by having it dug out of its lodgment. After having reached a considerable 

 depth, the man at work used his finger for the purpose of ascertaining the direction of the 

 hole. This seemed to have been its termination, or nearly so, as the Snake caught hold of his 

 finger. His companion immediarely ran of to the bank of a stream near at hand, and brought 

 back some leaves, which, having bruised with a stone, he administered to his friend's relief. 

 Mr. Breton requested the man to take him to the plant, which he forthwith removed to 

 his own garden. The Snake-catcher informed him the plant was a specific, and that they 

 usually carried the dried root about with them in case of need. 



" Mr. Breton, having been subsequently appointed to Allahabad, brought the plant away, 

 and was successful in the treatment of numerous cases. On being removed to a distant 

 station, he transferred the plant to me. The plant is a creeper, and sheds its leaves at 

 that season when Snakes, for the most part, are lying inert in their holes. I should have 

 mentioned, that the Cobra above referred to was killed in the hole. 



"There are several species of Aristolochia, all of them I believe stimulant; but the 

 Indica is that which I refer to it is intensely bitter and strongly aromatic. 



"In one bad case which came under my treatment, in which large doses had been 

 exhibited, I gave an additional leaf to the patient to take home, but to be used only in case 

 of relapse. Her husband informed me that, although quite recovered, she took the extra dose 

 at one o'clock in the morning, and became so giddy that in attempting to move she reeled 

 about like a drunken creature. 



"A young Hindoo woman was brought to my door in a 'charpoy,' or litter, in a state so 

 apparently lifeless from a Snake-bite, that I had no hesitation in refusing to prescribe. An 

 officer, who was on a visit at my house at the time, considered the woman beyond the power 

 of human relief, and advised me to send her away, as my failure would bring discredit on a 

 remedy which was attracting public notice. In this instance the patient was as cold as 

 marble; there was no pulsation; countenance death-like. 



"The woman's husband manifested great distress at my refusal, at the same time urging 

 that as the remedy had been prepared, I might, at any rate, give his wife the chance of 

 recovery. I explained to him my motives, and my firm belief that his wife was dead long 

 before he had reached my door. However, rather than add to his distress by persisting in my 

 refusal, I forced her jaws open, and poured down her throat three medium-sized leaves of the 

 Aristolochia Indica, reduced to a pulp, with ten black peppercorns, diluted with a graduated 

 ounce of water. The remedy having flowed into her stomach, I directed her body to be raised 

 and supported in a sitting posture, and with some anxiety, though without the slightest 

 prospect of success. 



" I attentively watched her features, and in the course of eight or ten minutes I observed 

 a slight pulsation on her under lip. I instantly directed her husband, with the aid of my 

 own servants, to drag her about for the purpose, if possible, of increasing the circulation. 

 Supported by two men, holding her up by the waist and arms, she was moved about, her 

 feet helplessly dragging after her. After the lapse of a few minutes, I perceived an attempt 

 on the part of the patient to use her feet. I accordingly directed them to raise her body 

 sufficiently high to admit of the soles of her feet being placed on a level with the ground. 

 In a few minutes she gave a deep inspiration, accompanied with a kind of shriek, manifesting 

 the return of consciousness. This was followed by an exclamation, 'A fire is consuming 

 my vitals 1 ' At this time her chest and arms were deadly cold. I immediately gave her 

 the pulp of one leaf in an ounce of water, which greatly alleviated the burning sensation in 

 the stomach. 



" She was then enabled to explain the position of the wound in her instep, which had 

 the appearance of a small speck of ink, surrounded by a light-colored circle. I had the 

 part well rubbed with the Aristolochia, after which she was able to walk without assistance. 

 I kept her walking up and down for at least a couple of hours. Having expressed herself 



