COLCHICUM. 193 



Others, Mr. Dillen's*, Mr. Fereday's f, Dr. Thompson's +, M. Che- 

 vallier's §, and the case communicated to Dr. Duncan ||, are espe- 

 cially worthy of notice. Van Swieten, Garidel, and Peyer^ also 

 speak of various cases of poisoning by colchicum. Bernt** relates 

 the case of two children who were poisoned by the seed. Agri- 

 cola f-f- observes that two boys, after eating this plant, died in 

 great agony. Fatal effects, according to Geiger's Journal JJ, 

 have followed the taking of an infusion of the flowers ; and. 

 even, says Garidel §§, violent symptoms have been produced by 

 taking only three of the flow ers in substance. 



To obviate the deleterious eff^ects of this powerful plant, im- 

 mediately evacuate the stomach by copious draughts of oily 

 and mucilaginous liquids, and give emollient clysters to sheath 

 and sooth the rectum. After having excited vomiting very 

 freely, administer acidulous fluids, coffee, and camphor. If 

 necessary, bleeding must be resorted to. 



Colchicum, either taken as a poison or exhibited as a 

 remedial agent, is supposed to act through the nervous system 

 by absorption, and by that medium exerting a peculiar influence 

 on the arterial circulation || ||. Sir E. Home^^ found, by direct 

 experiment, that its effects were the same, whether taken into 

 the stomach or introduced into the jugular vein, only that in the 

 latter case its action was more quickly developed. The primce 

 vice usually exhibit appearances of inflammation ; but accord- 

 ing to Dr. Paris *** this is no proof of its direct effects upon 

 them. 



Medical Properties and Uses. — The powerful influence of 

 Colchicum as a medicine, admitting its identity with the Her- 



* In Burnett's Medical Botany, vol. ii. 

 •f- Lond. Med. Gaz. vol. x. p. 161. 

 + Lancet, 1821, vol. vii. p. 281. 

 § Journal de Chimie Medicale, viii. 351. 

 II Edinb. Med. and Surg. Journ. vol. xiv. p. 262. 

 ^ Flore Medicale, torn. iii. p. 64. 

 ** Beitrage zur Gerichtl. Arzneik, iv. p. 246. 



■\"\- Jo. Agricola Ammonius, Medic. Herb. lib. i. p. 90 ; Nee non Ludovici 

 Opera, p. 63. 



:|::|: Magazin fUr Pharmacie, xxx. p. 237- 



§§ Garidel, Plantes d' Aix, p. 123. 



nil T. Fereday, Lond. Med. Gaz. vol. x. p. 162. 



^^ Philosophical Transactions, 1816, p. 257- 



*** Pharmacologia, 6th edit. vol. i. p. 248. 



