ii] Ranmiculacese 15 



Monkshood {Aconitum Napellus L.). The extremely poisonous 

 character of this plant has been recognised since ancient times, and it 

 is mentioned by Pliny, Dioscorides, etc. It is not common in the wild 

 state in Britain — chiefly occurring in some Welsh and one or two West 

 of England counties — and is not very liable to cause poisoning of live 

 stock in Britain. Cases of poisoning of horses, cattle, sheep and pigs 

 have been recorded on the Continent, however (Cornevin), and cows died 

 in Victoria. Linnaeus says that it is fatal to cows and goats when they 

 eat it fresh, but that when dried it does no harm to horses. Medical 

 works record many cases of human poisoning, particularly in cases 

 where the root has been mistaken for horse radish — from which, however, 

 it markedly differs. The leaves at first taste insipid and then sharply 

 burning; the root when fresh smells like the radish and has a sHghtly 

 sweetish taste, which is succeeded by characteristic tingling of the 

 tongue and a sensation of numbness in the mouth. 



Toxic Principle. Monkshood is very poisonous, and though all 

 parts are toxic the root is the most dangerous, and next the seeds and 

 leaves. The plant seems to vary in toxicity with age and climate, 

 being but shghtly active when very young, most active just before 

 flowering, and at the minimum of activity when the seeds ripen. The 

 cultivated form is stated to be much less poisonous than the wild one. 

 Drying removes a part of the toxic substance, and boiling removes most 

 of it. The plant contains the toxic alkaloid Aconitine (C34H45NO11), 

 and also Aconine (C25H39NO9). The root contains 0-17 to 0-28 per cent, 

 of Aconitine, but the leaves and flowers less. 



Symptoms. The chief symptoms are those of depression, and are 

 manifested through the nervous system and the circulatory and 

 respiratory organs. Tetanic symptoms are also present. There is loss of 

 appetite, salivation, inflammation of the mucous membrane of the mouth 

 and jaws, grinding of teeth, nausea and vomiting, great restlessness and 

 colic; the animal groans and walks with an uncertain gait owing to 

 bodily weakness, giddiness and paralysis of hind feet or of all limbs; 

 there is also a notable slackening in the pulse, breathing becomes diffi- 

 cult, consciousness is lost and the pupils are dilated. Death ensues in 

 most cases within a few hours, and after convulsions. 



Kaufmann (quoted by Cornevin) observed in the horse champing 

 of the jaws, salivation, fibrillous contraction of the muscles of the ole- 

 cranon, then of the buttocks, then of the whole body. The intestinal 

 pains were shown by the blows of the animal's hind feet under and at 

 the back of the belly. There was also observed an intense and painful 



