90 PASTORAL AND AGRICULTURAL BOTANY 



Remedies. The older authors noticed that if the eating of cowbane 

 was followed by vomiting the patient usually recovered (see ante). The 

 logical remedy, therefore, is an emetic. When the convulsions are 

 violent some opiate should be administered. Chestnut and Wilcox 

 recommended hypodermic injections of morphin to control the convul- 

 sions, giving sheep i^ grams and cattle and horses 3 to 10 grams. A 

 purgative would doubtless help to rid the system of the poison. 



Poison Hemlock (Conium maculatum). The poison hemlock is the 

 classical poisonous plant naturalized from Europe into America, where it 

 ranges in waste places from Canada to Indiana, California, Utah and Mex- 

 ico. It is an erect, much-branched herb, 6-15 decimeters tall. Its lower 

 and basal leaves are petioled, while its upper are usually sessile. All of 

 the leave? are pinnately dissected into ovate leaflets with dentate margin. 

 The umbels are broad with white flowers. Its fruit is 3 mm. long and 2 

 mm. wide with its ribs very prominent when dry. 



Poisons. The plant is very poisonous containing an alkaloid coniin 

 (CsHirN), which is volatile in vapor of alcohol, or water, and somewhat 

 volatile at ordinary temperatures. It has an alkaline reaction and a 

 burning taste and causes dilation of the pupil. Two other principal 

 alkaloids have been isolated: Conicein (CgHisN) said to be eighteen 

 times more poisonous than coniin and conhydrin (C 8 Hi 7 NO). Fresh 

 leaves contain 0.095 P er cent, of coniin and the ripe seed 0.7 per cent. 



Symptoms. The symptoms in man are due to a general and gradual 

 weakening of the muscular power. The power of sight is often lost, 

 but the mind, as in the case of Socrates quoted below, remains clear until 

 death ensues, as it does from the gradual paralysis of the lungs. There 

 are no convulsions. Many domestic animals have been killed by eating 

 the plant. The symptoms for cows being the loss of appetite, salivation, 

 bloating, much bodily pain, loss of muscular power, and rapid, feeble 

 pulse. 



Socrates and the Plant.- As the death of the ancientGreek philosopher 

 Socrates is usually associated with this plant the following account is of 

 interest. The form of the indictment of Socrates was as follows : Meletus, 

 the son of Meletus, of the deme Pitthis, on his oath brings the following 

 accusation against Socrates, the son of Sophioniscus of the deme Alopece. 

 Socrates commits a crime by not believing in the gods of the city and by 

 introducing other new divinities. He also commits a crime by corrupting 

 the youth. Penalty, death. He is condemned by a vote of 281 to 220. 



