204 The Philippine Journal of Science 1916 



few minutes was seized by clonic and tonic convulsions. During 

 the attack of convulsions the face was congested and expressed 

 fear, the respiration stopped, the eyeballs diverged, the head 

 was retracted toward the back, and the trunk and the extremities 

 were rigid and extended, giving now and then slight convulsive 

 movements. After this single attack the patient was exhausted 

 and markedly prostrated, but was conscious and showed no sign 

 of disturbance of mental equilibrium. The pulse was large and 

 strong at the beginning, but became rapid and thready after- 

 ward ; there was dyspnoea, and the urine was scanty and highly 

 colored. The presence of albuminuria was not determined. 



With the belief that we were dealing with a case of cholera, 

 the patient was given 500 cubic centimeters of physiological salt 

 solution and 1 cubic centimeter of camphorated oil, injected 

 hypodermically, and hot stimulating drinks. Five hours after 

 the appearance of the first symptom the patient was distinctively 

 improved and rapidly recovered. 



CASES 2 AND 3 



These cases are the daughter and the cook of Mr. N. N. 

 (case 1) , each of whom took a very small quantity of a decoction 

 of sanki on the advice of the latter. Emesis appeared shortly 

 after taking the poison, and the patients complained of no 

 disturbances other than temporary dizziness. The mildness of 

 the symptoms in these two cases was undoubtedly due to the 

 early onset of vomiting and presumably to the small quantity 

 of the poison ingested. 



CASE 4 



This case was a woman who three days after labor was given 

 by her mother a cup of sanki decoction as a stimulant. Again 

 the exact quantity of the poison ingested unfortunately could 

 not be determined. Four hours after taking the poison the 

 patient developed the following symptoms : Vomiting, cephalalgia, 

 cramps in the legs, convulsions resembling those in case 1, 

 profuse sweating, and oliguria. Diarrhoea, restlessness except 

 during the convulsions, and marked prostration did not occur. 

 The administration of chloral hydrate caused the convulsions 

 to disappear ; the patient recovered. 



Dr. Tee Han Kee has very kindly communicated to us privately 

 that more than twenty cases of poisoning by Illicium religiosum 

 have come under his observation. These cases were all Chinese 

 residing in Manila, who used the poison in committing suicide 

 or for the purpose of relieving tympanites and various ailments, 

 such as hydrocele and anasarca, which they attribute to cold. 



