STROPHANTHUS SARMENTOSUS : ITS PHARMACOLOGICAL ACTION. 345 



on the heart. While the former two were found to be active, though less so than the 

 extract from the seeds, the third (sediment) appeared to be inert. The experiments are 

 epitomised at pp. 347 and 348. 



There has also been sent by Sir Frederick Lugard, K.C.M.G., High Commissioner 

 of Northern Nigeria, a description, obtained from a " professional native poison-maker " 

 by Dr Gr. W. Thompstone, P.M.O., of the manner in which the poison is prepared. 

 This coincides very closely with the description furnished by Dr Dalziel, even to the 

 extent of there being used in the preparation, besides Strophanthus seeds, parts of five 

 plants, the blood of a " red fowl " and, occasionally, the head of a venomous serpent. 

 The " animal substance " referred to in Dr Dalziel's description of the manufacture of 

 the arrow-poison is, according to this account, obtained, though only rarely, by 

 sticking the arrows into the abdomen of a dead man and leaving them there for three 

 days. The native name of the arrow-poison is " G-unguma," and arrows poisoned with 

 it are in use at Zaria, Kantagora, Bida, Zungeru and Lapai. While, however, at each 

 place, Strophanthus seeds are known to enter into its composition, it was not known if 

 S. sarmentosus is the species, or the only species. The poison appears to be less fluid 

 than that whose preparation was witnessed by Dr Dalziel, and, further, it is applied 

 by being smeared on the arrow-heads with a feather and not by several times dipping 

 the heads into the poison. It is said to remain active for three years, and to cause 

 death, according to one account, in not less than twelve hours, and, in another account, 

 in not less than thirty minutes " after a mere scratch." 



Poisoned Arrows from Sir Frederick Lugard (Plate I., figs. 4a and 46). — Arrows 

 have not been received upon which had been applied the poison whose preparation had 

 been observed by Dr Dalziel, but in 1904, Sir Frederick Lugard most kindly sent 

 to one of us four leather quivers containing a large number of poisoned arrows obtained 

 for him by Dr Leuer, one of the medical officers of Northern Nigeria. These arrows 

 are not feathered. They vary in length from 685 to 787 mm. (27 to 31 inches), a 

 large proportion of them being 762 mm. (30 inches). The shaft consists of bamboo 

 cane, about 8 mm. ( T 5 g- of an inch) in diameter, which is notched at one extremity 

 for receiving the bow-string, while about 38 to 51 mm. {\\ to 2 inches) of the iron 

 stem of the arrow-head is inserted into the other extremity without being tied or fixed 

 with any adhesive substance. In the majority of the arrows, the head is ovate in 

 shape, and in others it is lanceolate (see fig. 4, Plate I.). The iron arrow-head with 

 its stem is about 178 to 200 mm. (7 or 8 inches) in length, the stem being 128 to 165 

 mm. (5 to 6^ inches) in length, and the head 25 to 50 mm. (1 to 2 inches) in length 

 and 12 to 22 mm. (|- to f inch) in greatest width, a common width being about 19 mm. 

 (f of an inch), and on each surface of the head one wing is concave and the other 

 convex. From the base of each wing, a pointed barb projects downwards at an angle 

 of about 20 degrees with the long axis of the arrow. The barbs are 11 to 15 mm. long 

 (f to f inch), and 2 to 2 "5 mm. (y 1 ^ to -^ inch) thick at their attachment to the arrow- 

 head. In two of the arrows that were received, there are also iron spikes projecting 



