THE POISONOUS PLANTS OF BOMBAY. 75 



nervine tonic. The root of it is besides used as a stomachic tonic. 

 It is in the course of the administration of the root of this plant and 

 of the pulp and rind of the fruit that I have seen the poisonous 

 effects which I think are sufficient to justify the introduction of this 

 plant among the Poisonous plants of Bombay. Roxburgh had heard 

 of its poisonous effects on birds in his day. He notes that " mixed 

 with rice it is used to destroy crows. ^' Dalzell and Gibson 

 note that it is much esteemed in India in diseases of cattle. 

 Dr. Lyon refers to me {vide p. 109^ Medical Jurisprudence for 

 India, 1889) as having informed him of the fact that the fruit pulp 

 is used by forest frequenters as a cattle poison. I have since met 

 with cases wherein it has acted as a poison on men. When it is 

 used for poisoning cattle it is mixed up with fodder. Sometimes 

 however it has unexpectedly acted as a poison when adminis- 

 tered medicinally to cattle for the cure of inflammation of the lungs. 

 The fact that the root is used by Indian villagers for curing acute 

 lung diseases among cattle has long since been noted by Wight. 

 The unsuccessful efforts made at the instance of Sir William 

 O'Shaughnessy and referred to in the Bengal Dispensatory (p. 350) 

 to ascertain whether the fruit had any properties at all, by giving 

 such small doses as three grains thrice daily, need not make us 

 sceptical as to the truly dangerous nature of the fruit-rind and 

 pulp. In small doses the plant root or fruit may act as a stomachic 

 tonic, or may have no sensible effect. But when the pulp of half 

 the fruit, or even a quarter is used — say if a dram or more in 

 weight — finds its way into the human stomach it does not appear to 

 be free from danger. Administered by ignorant or unsuspecting 

 persons not necessarily with a view to poison, it has done harm ; 

 drastic effects have been known to follow. The dry fruit-rind or 

 pulp when smoked is said to act beneficially in the cure of 

 asthma. I have no experience of this myself. On the other hand, 

 I have not heard of any poisonous effects following such administra- 

 tion. But I have known of cases of accidental poisoning when the 

 fruit was administered internally as a laxative and was followed 

 by drastic purgation and irritation of the 'primce vice. 1 know of 

 no case however in which it has caused death, or has ever been 

 used on men for criminal purposes. 



