POISONOUS PLANTS 241 



abdominal distension, stercoraceous and renal emunctories 

 entirely suspended, death. 



Creuzel* observed henbane symptoms in a cow two hours 

 after eating the plant. The pupils were dilated, conjunc- 

 tivae injected, carotids beat violently. The animal attempted 

 to rise, but fell again. There were general convulsions, 

 loud respiration, salivation, and purgation. 



Black henbane contains chiefly the two alkaloids, 

 hyoscyamine and hyoscine (scopolamine). Hyoscyamine 

 closely resembles atropine in its physiological effects, the 

 mydriasis being less permanent and the depressant effects 

 greater, whilst hyoscine is an extremely powerful depressant 

 and hypnotic drug. As regards poisoning by henbane, it is 

 interesting to remark that profuse salivation takes the place 

 of the great dryness due to atropine. 



Datura. 



Botanical Characters. — Datura Stramonium (Fig. 34), 

 or thorn-apple, is sometimes encountered in Southern 

 England, being a plant originally of South American 

 origin, now fairly widely diffused over Southern Europe. 



It is a coarse, glabrous, or slightly downy annual, 1 to 

 2 feet high, with spreading, forked branches ; leaves rather 

 large, ovate, with irregular, angular, or pointed teeth or 

 lobes. Flowers solitary, on short peduncles, in the forks, or 

 at the ends of the branches. Calyx loosely tubular, about 

 li inches long, and falls off after flowering, leaving a small 

 rim under the capsule. Corolla about 3 inches long, 

 bordered with five, narrow, distant teeth, usually white, but 

 occasionally (especially in hot countries) purple. Capsule 

 nearly globular, very prickly, with numerous wrinkled 

 seeds. In the States it is a common weed known as 

 ' Jimson ' weed, and in South Africa it is called the ' stink- 

 blaar.' 



Symptoms. — A case of thorn - apple poisoning is on 

 record by H. A. Sullivan, t A horse which had eaten 



* Veterinarian, 1840, p. 661. f ^«^- '^■< 1905. P- 182. 



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