732 MANUAL OF POISONOUS PLANTS 



frequent micturition. These symptoms are succeeded, in fatal poisoning, by fall of tempera- 

 ture, retention of urine, muscular weakness, staggering gait, partial anjesthesia, convulsions 

 -and paralysis (one preponderating over the other), weak, slow, irregular respiration, feeble 

 rapid pulse, paralysis of the sphincters, stupor and death. Death occurs mainly from asphyxia, 

 but is due in part to cardiac failure. The physiological test consists in placing a drop of 

 urine (secreted by the poisoned animal) into the eye of a healthy animal, when mydriasis 

 should follow if the case be one of belladonna poisoning. ^Three-quarters of a grain of 

 atropin under the skin has proved fatal to dogs. Two grains of airopin produce mild toxic 

 symptoms in the horse. Small dogs are slightly poisoned by gr. 1-80 of atropin; medium sized 

 dogs by gr. 1-60, given hypodermatically. Cattle are as susceptible as horses, although her- 

 bivora are not so easily influenced as carnivora. The pulse in dogs is greatly accelerated, 

 sometimes as high as 400, while the pulse rate of the horse is not generally more than doubled. 

 Rodents, as guinea pigs and rabbits, and pigeons, are particularly insusceptible to belladonna, 

 in regard to its effect upon the pupil, circulation, etc. 



The treatment for poisoning includes the use of the stomach pump, emetics, cardiac stim- 

 ulants, and pilocarpin under the skin. Also external heat, general faradism and artificial 

 respiration. 



Datura Stramonium. L. Jamestown or Jimson Weed 



Much like the last; an annual; glabrous or the young stem somewhat 

 pubescent, stout and green; branches and leaves sparingly pubescent; leaves 

 thin ovate, sinuate toothed or angled; calyx less than J4 the length of the 

 corolla; corolla white, 3 inches long, the border S-toothed; capsule ovoid, 

 prickly, the lower prickles mostly shorter. 



Distribution. Nova Scotia, New England to Minnesota, Iowa, Nebraska, 

 Texas and Florida. Naturalized, native to tropical regions of the Old World, 

 probably Asia. De Candolle says that it is probably native to the borders of 

 the Caspian Sea. 



Poisonous properties. The Datura Stramonium has been used in medicine 

 since the close of the sixteenth century. Earlier than this it was used by the 

 people of western Asia and eastern Europe. Miss Henkel describes the method 

 of collecting as follows : 



The leaves are collected at the time of flowering, the entire plant being cut or pulled up 

 and the leaves stripped and" dried in the shade. The unpleasant narcotic odor diminishes upon 

 drying. The leaves are poisonous, causing dilation of the pupil of the eye, and are used prin- 

 cipally in asthma. 



All three species of Datura are poisonous, the seeds being especially poison- 

 ous. Dr. Halsted records a case of poisoning of a boy five years old in New- 

 ark, New Jersey, who ate freely of a half grown capsule of this species and 

 died the next morning. The seeds of D. Stramonium are known to have 

 poisoned a child in eastern Iowa. They contain -Jtyoscyamin, atropin and 

 scopolam-in. In some analyses, as much as 0.33 per cent of the alkaloid atropin 

 has been found in the seeds, and about 0.2 per cent in the leaves. 



Datura Metel L. Thorn Apple 



A clammy pubescent annual 3-4 feet high, leaves ovate, entire or obscurely 

 angular toothed, rounded at the base; flowers large, white, calyx about J4 as 

 long as the corolla; capsule globose prickly. 



Distribution. Native to tropical America. Naturalized from New England 

 to Florida and westward. 



Datura meteloides DC. Wright's Datura 

 A spiny pubescent annual, pale in color, leaves obovate entire; flowers large 



showy, white or pale violet, sweet scented; corolla with a S-toothed border; 



capsule nodding spiny. 



Poisonous properties. The writer a few years ago saw a notice in a local 



