172 



POISONS 



Those of animal origin are Meloe vesicatorius {Cantharis vesi- 

 catoria, Lytta vesicatoria, Miisca hispaniola are synonyms), which 

 is well known, and Mylahris cichorii, a beetle called Pan-mao by 

 the Chinese and containing i per cent, of cantharidine. In China 

 and the Far East generally the testicles, spinal cords, etc., of 

 animals, pounded and mixed with rice water, are eaten as 

 aphrodisiacs. 



Those of vegetal origin are numerous, and include Panax quinque- 

 folium Linnaeus (Araliaceae), the powdered root of which, called 

 by the Chinese Jeun-Chenn, is used; Pop ulus spinosa (Amentaceae), 

 the Sen-iang-hofi of the Chinese, of which the buds are used; 

 Psorala corylifolia Roxburgh (Leguminosae), the fruit of which is 

 used by the Chinese and Annamese; Psorala glandulosa Linnaeus 

 in Chili; Amomum zingiber, the ginger (Zingiberaceae) ; Caryophyllus 

 aromaticiis Linnaeus {Cambosa aromatica Miquel — Myrtaceae); 

 Pausinystalia yohimba Karl Schumann, the celebrated yohimbehe 

 or yumbehoa bark, from which the alkaloid yohimbine hydro- 

 chloride, used in i per cent, solution, dose 5 to 15 minims, or 

 tablets with grain taken one three times a day, may be men- 

 tioned. The last is sometimes named Corynanthe yohimbi, but 

 this is merely a synonym. P. trilh sii Pierre is also considered 

 to contain yohimbine. These trees grow in the Kameruns and 

 the Congo. 



Cordiceps sinensis is the mushroom called Tch'oungtis'ao by the 

 Chinese, and is used as an aphrodisiac. 



II. ACCIDENTAL POISONING. 



Accidental poisoning happens fairly frequently; therefore a few 

 examples may be given. 



Certain common articles of food are poisonous until properly 

 prepared; e.g., tapioca is the starch obtained from the root of 

 Manihot utilissima Pohl 1821 {Jatropha manihot Linnaeus — Euphor- 

 biaceae), commonly called the cassava, of which there are two 

 varieties, the sweet and the bitter. The latter contains hydro- 

 cyanic acid in its milky juice, and is, therefore, poisonous until it 

 is roasted, when the volatile acid is driven off, and the bitter 

 cassava can then be used for food after squeezing out the juice 

 and cooking the root. Waddell reports two cases of death from 

 accidental poisoning by this root in 1898 in Madras. 



Ariscema. — Vogt has reported the accidental poisoning of a 

 Chinese woman by an unknown species of the genus Ariscema 

 Martins, belonging to the family Aracece Schott, 1832. She ate 

 a small piece of the tuber, and in ten minutes became stuporous, 

 and despite prompt and vigorous treatment, which included the 

 washing out of the stomach, her abdomen became distended and 

 she suffered from paralysis of the limbs, but eventually recovered. 



The members of the Araceae are well known to be poisonous, 

 and Diffenbachia sequina, the dumb cane, which grows in the 



