ITS ACTION ON THE SYSTEM. 445 



I placed the most active curare in contact with the crural 

 nerves of a frog, without perceiving any sensible change in 

 measuring the degree of irritability of the organs, by means 

 of an arc formed of heterogeneous metals. Galvanic experi- 

 ments succeeded upon birds, some minutes after I had killed 

 them with a poisoned arrow. These observations are not 

 uninteresting, when we recollect that a solution of the upas- 

 poison poured upon the sciatic nerve, or insinuated into the 

 texture of the nerve, produces also a sensible effect on the 

 irritability of the organs by immediate contact with the 

 medullary substance. The danger of the curare, as of most 

 of the other strychneae, (for we continue to believe that the 

 mavacure belongs to a neighbouring family,) results only from 

 the action of the poison on the vascular system. At May- 

 pures, a zambo descended from an Indian and a negro, pre- 

 pared for M. Bonpland some of those poisoned arrows, that 

 are shot from blowing-tubes to kill small monkeys or birds. 

 He was a man of remarkable muscular strength. Having had 

 the imprudence to rub the curare between his fingers after 

 being slightly wounded, he fell on the ground seized with a 

 vertigo, that lasted nearly half an hour. Happily the poison 

 was of that diluted kind which is used for very small animals, 

 that is, for those which it is believed can be recalled to life 

 by putting muriate of soda into the wound. During our 

 passage in returning from Esmeralda to Atures, I myself 

 narrowly escaped an imminent danger. The curare, having 

 imbibecl the humidity of the air, had become fluid,and was spilt 

 from an imperfectly closed jar upon our linen. The person 

 who washed the linen had neglected to examine the inside 

 of a stocking, which was filled with curare; and it was only 

 on touching this glutinous matter with my hand, that I was 

 warned not to draw on the poisoned stocking. The danger 

 was so much the greater, as my feet at that time were 

 bleeding from the wounds made by chegoes (Pulex pene- 

 trans), which had not been well extirpated. This circum- 

 stance may warn travellers of the caution requisite in the 

 conveyance of poisons. 



An in Wresting chemical and physiological investigation 

 remains to be accomplished in Europe on the poisons of the 

 New World, when, oy more frequent communications, the 

 aurare de bejuco, the curare de raiz, and the various poisons o/ 



