IRKITANT POISONS 



I 

 PURGATIVES 



Symptoms. — Abdominal pain; vomiting and purging; 

 cramps ; strangury and tenesmus, followed by collapse ; and 

 sometimes accompanied by drowsiness and slight nervous 

 symptoms. 



ALOE SOCOTRINA {West Indies, and cultivated in Britain). 59. 



SOCOTRINE ALOES TREE. 



Liliacece. — Stem woody; scarred; branching dichotomously. 

 — Leaves crowded at ends of branches; sessile; 15-20 ins.; 

 curved at base, then erect and incurved; tapering; concave 

 above, convex below ; with numerous white prickles on margins. 

 — Flowering-stem tall; erect; slender. — Flowers numerous; 

 stalked; crowded on raceme. — Fruit a blunt capsule; 1 in.; 

 3-celled. — Seeds numerous; compressed. — 6 ft.; annual; early 

 spring; pink, with yellowish tips. 



Toxic Principle. — ALOIN, also contained in A. barbadensis, 

 A. ferox. 



He sate upon the terrace, 



Plucked and threw 



The powdery aloe-ctisps away. 



Browning : ' ' Sordello. ' ' 



MOMORDICA ELATERIUM. 



ECBALIUM ELATERIUM {Cultivated in Britain and 



South Europe). 60. 



SQUntTING CUCUMBER — WILD CUCUMBER. 



Cucurbitacece. — Root tapering; white; fleshy. — Stems pros- 

 trate; lJ-3 ft.; branched; cylindrical; translucent. — Leaves 

 alternate ; on long, tapering petioles ; deeply cordate ; rounded 



33 3 



