THORN-APPLE. 347 



supposed to designate this plant in the writings of Dioscorides. 

 The common name, Thorn-apple, obviously refers to the spiny 

 fruit. It is called in the United States Apple of Peru, Devil's 

 Apple, and Jamestown-weed *. 



There are several other species of Datura which partake more 

 or less of the qualities of the Stramonium, as D. fastuosa, 

 generally used in Egypt and India; D. tatula, a native of 

 Peru ; D. Metel, of Arabia and India ; and D. ferox, of 

 China. 



The Stramonium is commonly associated with witchcraft, 

 poisoning, and death. Harte, speaking of the plants growing 

 around the palace of Death, says — 



u Nor were the nightshades wanting, nor the power 

 Of thorned stramonium, nor the sickly flower 

 Of cloying mandrakes, the deceitful root 

 Of the monk's fraudful cowl, and Plinian fruit." 



Qualities. — The plant has a disagreeable narcotic odour, 

 which has been compared to that of bean meal, and is more 

 developed when the leaves are rubbed between the fingers. 

 Bergius, after being for some time exposed to the odour of the 

 recent plant, and from chewing one of the leaves experienced 

 a kind of intoxication like that produced by the fumes of 

 tobacco. The foliage is bitter to the taste, less nauseous when 

 chewed, and tinges the saliva of a deep green colour. Both 

 water and alcohol take up the virtues of the plant. " The watery 

 infusion is transparent, with a very pale yellow hue, which is 

 dissipated by acids, but very much deepened by the alkalies. 

 It throws down whitish precipitates with acetate of lead, and a 

 black precipitate with nitrate of silver. Solution of sulphate 

 of iron strikes a deep olive colour, and muriate of mercury 

 renders it milky, but neither is precipitated for a considerable 

 time." f Bergius J observed in the extract crystalline particles 

 resembling nitre, and which crackled and flashed in the flame 



* Kalm, in his travels in North America, says, " the Datura Stramonium 

 grows in great quantities in all the villages ; its height is different, according 

 to the soil : — in a rich soil, it grows to the height of six or eight feet, but in- 

 hard or poor ground it seldom comes up to six inches." 



f Thomson's Dispensatory, ed. 8. p. 330. 



\ Mat. Med. torn. i. p. 121. 



