140 The Thorn Apple. 



same treatment would be found extremely efficacious, and well 

 worthy of trial in many chronic diseases of the eye, particularly 

 in the early stage of gutta serena. Of this plant Juvenal sarcas- 

 tically remarks, " Danda est hellebori multo pars maxima avaris." 

 The roots of the H. Viridis and H. Orientalis have been substi- 

 tuted for those of the H. Niger, but it is of little consequence, as 

 their medicinal qualities are nearly alike. 



The Thorn Apple, 



This is in the natural order Solanaceae, the class Pentandria, 

 order Monogynia. Its generic characters are : — corolla funnel- 

 form, plaited ; calyx tubular, angular, deciduous ; caps four- 

 valved. Specific character : pericarp spinous, erect, ovate ; 

 leaves ovate, smooth. Some years ago, in this city, there was 

 considerable excitement about this plant. A number of recently 

 arrived German emigrants, unacquainted with its dangerous 

 properties, boiled the leaves for table greens, and eat heartily of 

 them, and the most disastrous results followed, ending in the 

 death of two or three. It is said that, in some instances, the 

 scenes recorded by Beverly were re-enacted. " This being an 

 early plant, was gathered very young for a boiled salad, by some 

 of the soldiers sent hither to quell the rebellion of Bacon, and 

 some of them ate plentifully of it, the effect of which was a plea- 

 sant comedy, for they turned natural fools upon it for seyeral 

 days. One would throw up a feather in the air, another would 

 dart straws at it with much fury ; another, stafk naked, was sit- 

 ting up in a corner, Tike a monkey, grinning and making mows 

 at them ; a fourth would fondly kiss and paw his companions, 

 and sneer in their faces with a countenance more antic than any 

 in a Dutch droll. In this frantic condition they were confined, 

 lest in their folly they should destroy themselves. A thousand 

 simple tricks they played, and after eleven days returned to them- 

 selves again, not remembering anything that had passed." 



Last summer we were called to visit three children in one 

 house, in Second street, near Avenue C, who had eaten of the 

 plant. We found they all presented the same appearance, the 



