38 VEGETABLE POISONS* 



in six or seven minutes. Never more than half an hour elapsed 

 from the time of the poison being inserted to that of the animal 

 being affected, except in one instance, where a ligature was applied 

 on the limb. The woorara, which I employed, had been preserved 

 for some years, which will account for its having been less active 

 than it has been described to be by those who had witnessed its 

 effects when in a recent state . 



Upas antiar. 



The island of Java produces two powerful vegetable poisons, to 

 one of which the natives give the name of upas tieute, and to the 

 other that of upas antiar. 



Exp. 2 1 . About two grains of this poison were made into a 

 thin paste with water, and inserted into a wound in the thigh of a 

 dog. Twelve minutes afterwards he became languid ; at the end 

 of fifteen minutes, the heart was found to beat very irregularly, 

 and with frequent intermissions ; after this, he had a slight rigor. 

 At the end of twenty minutes, the heart beat very feebly and irre- 

 gularly ; he was languid $ was sick and vomited ; but the respira- 

 tions were as frequent and as full as under natural circumstances, and 

 he was perfectly sensible. At the end of twenty minutes he sud- 

 denly fell on one side, and was apparently dead. I immediately 

 opened into the thorax, and found the heart distended with blood 

 in a very remarkable degree, and to have entirely ceased contract- 

 ing. There was one distinct aud full inspiration after I had begun 

 making the incision into the thorax. The cavities of the left side 

 of the heart contained scarlet blood, and those of the right side 

 contained dark-coloured blood, as in a living animal. 



Exp. 22. A small quantity of the upas antiar, prepared as be- 

 fore, was inserted into a wound in the thigh of a young cat. She 

 appeared languid in two minutes after the poison was inserted. The 

 symptoms which took place did not essentially differ from those 

 which occurred in the last experiment, except that there were some 

 convulsive motions of the limbs. At eight minutes after the poison 

 was inserted, she lay on one side motionless and insensible, the 

 heart could not be felt, but the respiration had not entirely ceased. 

 On opening into the thorax, I found the heart to have ceased con- 



