xii, a. 4 Brill and Wells: Medicinal Plants, II 189 



and the following day the animal appears perfectly well. Two days after- 

 wards the cerebral disturbances appear. Suddenly, without apparent cause, 

 it rushes about in an unbridled career, barking loudly, and seeming to pur- 

 sue an imaginary prey. After that it stops, with its tail between its legs, 

 and begins to howl in a very disagreeable fashion. It now stumbles left and 

 right, so that one might believed it drunk with alcohol. During the fit it 

 scarcely lets itself be approached by its master, whom it regards with a 

 threatening air. Other attacks then occur, during which it involuntarily 

 expels solid and liquid excrementitious matters, whilst it indulges in a furious 

 and noisy run. Suddenly it stops, seized with a slight nervous trembling, 

 and as it shivers one would say it had cold. The strange way in which it 

 then begins to sniff the air causes the belief that there is also a disordered 

 sense of smell. Now, abruptly springing up, seized with a great terror, and 

 with its tail between its legs, it runs away crying, and hastens to take refuge 

 in dark corners or under the furniture, or it seems to defend itself by bark- 

 ing at an imaginary phantom. It is these dreadful visions which above 

 all predominate, but they soon give way to attacks of rage, or to a stupid 

 desire to make a noise. The fear is very great and the sensibility over- 

 excited, and any object, however slight, such as a small piece of wood, 

 thrown to the dog during the fit causes it to utter loud cries. When it be- 

 gins to drink the reflections from the water as it is agitated appear to make 

 the animal afraid and it shrinks away. Later it is seized with an attack of 

 mastication, and flakes of white foam issue from its mouth. The salivary 

 secretion continues very excessive, though intermittently, during three days, 

 in the course of which the dog is observed to slumber momentarily, with 

 open eyes; then abruptly, at the end of some seconds, it moves as though 

 awaking; in brief, it has lapses of consciousness. This is very characteristic. 

 All these symptoms are repeated during six to eight days, after which the 

 dog is restored to health. Subsequently it remains for some time subject to 

 epileptic-like fits, but the animal, which had become of a gloomy and sad 

 disposition, recovers little by little its normal state. 



The condition produced in the dog by the 8 milligrams of 

 substance lasted a period of six days. On the seventh day food 

 was taken and the animal had fair control of his muscles. On 

 the tenth day he seemed to have fully recovered his previous con- 

 dition, except for weight. 



Robert 3T also speaks of the remarkable effect of the crude 

 drug on dogs and states that it might contain a compound of 

 therapeutic value. With the beginning of the next fruiting sea- 

 son, when larger quantities will be available, the investigation 

 of this plant will be continued. 



Without doubt Rourea erecta is poisonous in small doses to 

 carnivorous animals. Rourea volubilis may not be poisonous, 

 or the active substance may not be present in so large quantities. 

 An attempt will be made to obtain specimens of the latter for 

 examination in order that its properties may be compared with 

 those of R. erecta. 



" Kobert, R., Centralbl. f. klin. Med. (1893), 14, 927. 



