84 



firm, that they are soon after killed ; for I am 

 not much of opinion that they are rendered ver- 

 tiginous, and killed by the bitter and acrid, or 

 by some hitherto unknown quality of these ber- 

 ries. I will not, however, take upon me to deter- 

 mine, whether fishes killed in this manner may 

 be safely eaten, but with Condonchius I am 

 of opinion, that no danger attends the use of 

 them as an aliment, if they are gutted and boiled 

 as soon as taken. That these berries are hot and 

 by means cold, as all opiates certainly are, as also 

 IVlatthiolus, and others maintain, notwithstand- 

 ing their narcotic quality, is sufficiently obvious 

 from their acrid and bitter taste, as also by the 

 other effects produced by them, as Condonchius 

 has evidently demonstrated. This same author 

 is of opinion, that these berries are by no means 

 possessed of a poisonous and deletereous quality, 

 and it is not by this, but by their bitterness and 

 primary qualities, that fishes are killed ; but the 

 contrary to me seems plain, from a story related 

 by Arnatus. A certain schoolmaster asking for 

 cubebs from an ignorant apothecary, received 

 these berries in their stead. When the school- 

 master had greedily devoured three or four of 

 them, he was seized with a nausea, hiccough, and 

 anxiety, which symptoms, together with the dan- 

 ger they threatened, were immediately removed 

 by administering a vomit; the reasoning is weak, 

 and more about words than facts, and may be 

 equally said of opium ; the absurdity of which is 

 evident to all who know the nature and operation 

 of hypnotics. 



This description of the Oriental Cocus, I am 

 indebted to the late ingenious Dr. Cook for, but I 

 must beg leave to make some observations, which 



