GERANIALES 575 



families Geraniaceae, Oxalidaceae, Tropaeolaceae, Linaceac, Brythroxylaceae, 

 Zygophyllaceae, Rutaceae, Simarubaceae, Burseraceae, Meliaccae, Malpighiaceae, 

 Polygalaceae and Euphorbiaceae. The family Tropaeolaceae contains the nas- 

 turtiums {Tropaeolum majus and T. minus) frequent in cultivation, the fruits 

 of the species being used for pickles. T. Lobbianum is a showy greenhouse 

 plant. The T. tuberosum of Peru produces a tuberous root used for food in 

 Bolivia, cooking dispelling the unpleasant flavor. 



Dr. Halsted states that some persons have suffered from an inflammation 

 on the hand caused by handling the garden nasturtium. 



T. majus contains glucotropaeolum, similar to the essential oil of mustard. 

 The family Burseraceae contains Commiphora abyssinica furnishing myrrh,' and 

 Almacigo {Bursera simaruba) the most characteristic tree of Porto Rico and 

 one which furnishes a resin known in commerce as "chibon." The family Meli- 

 aceae includes mahogany (Swieiitiia Mahogoni) a valuable timber tree of the 

 Antilles; myrtle (Melia Ascdaracli), widely cultivated in the South as an orna- 

 mental plant, the fruit of which contains mangrovin and is said to be poisonous , 

 the West Indian cedar {Cedrela odorata), which furnishes a valuable wood 

 used for furniture, cigar boxes, , shingles, etc. ; and Trichilia emetica, which 

 yields an oil and tallow. The carapa oil made from the seeds of Carapa procera 

 is toxic for insects. The family Zygophyllaceae furnishes lignum-vitae (Guaiacum 

 officinale), a heavy wood used in machinery and casting work. 



The ratsbane, broken-back or mendis {Chailletia toxicaria) of the family 

 Chcnlletiaceae is much used in Sierra Leone country of Africa^ for 

 poisoning; it is placed in water to poison enemies and live stock. According 

 to Dr. Renner "No one in this colony, it would appear, dies from natural causes." 

 Dr. Renner found the cause of this mysterious trouble to be due to poisoning 

 from ratsbane poison. In one case, a laborer was poisoned from "having eaten 

 some fish on which the ground fruit of Chailletia toxicaria had been strewn 

 for the purpose of killing rats." This shrub and an allied species are common in 

 Upper Guinea and Senegambia. Drs. Frederick B. Power and Frank Tutin who 

 made chemical and physiological examination of the fruit of Chailletia toxicaria 

 found that the fruit contained neither an alkaloid nor a cyagenetic glucoside 

 although a glucoside of this character is said to occur in South African C. 

 cymosa. The ratsbane contains a resinous substance which is extremely poison- 

 ous, but a toxin could not be isolated. The syrup prepared from the resin 

 when given to a dog caused delirium and epileptiform convulsions soon followed 

 by death. Drs. Powers and Tutin found that the fruit of this plant contains 

 two active principles, one of which causes cerebral depression or narcosin and 

 that the poison which causes convulsions is cumulative in its effect. 



To the family Brythroxylaceae belongs coca (Brythroxylon Coca) which 

 contains a number of alkaloids as follows: cocain C^^H^^NO^, cinnamylcocain 

 CisH^jNO^, truxillin (a) (C^^H^^NO^), truxillin (b) (Cj^H^^NOJ^. ben- 

 zoylecgonin Cj^H^gNO^, tropa-cocain C^jH^^NOg, hygrin CgH^gNO, cusoyhgrin 

 CjjHj^NOj. The injurious effects of cocain are well known. Dr. Winslow 

 says: 



Solutions of cocain (4.10 per cent), applied to mucous membranes, produce perfect 

 local anaesthesia by paralyzing the sensory nerve endings. Cocain exerts a local anaesthetic 

 action upon the gastric mucous membrane, and in this way lessens the appetite and sometimes 

 stops vomiting. Intestinal peristalsis is increased by moderate doses, but is decreased and 

 destroyed by the paralytic action of large doses. The action of cocain upon the heart and 



