POISONS OF VEGETABLE ORIGIN 191 



the pages like so many ants " (Ret 11), Natorally 

 symptoms of poisoning vary with the dose and age of 

 the victim ; they are more severe, as a rule, during 

 childhood and old age. The symptoms are mainly 

 those of henbane poisoning; large doses cause dry 

 mouth, dilated pupils, delirium of a pecuhar kind, rapid 

 action of the heart and insensibility, which may follow 

 within a quarter of an hour after administration. The 

 after-effects may last for two days, but are seldom 

 fatal when kechubong is used by Malays with the object 

 of profligacy or plunder. Death would be due to cardiac 

 failure. Vomiting rarely occurs, but seeds may be 

 found in the faeces ; excessive dilatation of the pupil is 

 a dangerous symptom. Loss of power of accommoda- 

 tion of the eye and the hallucinations account for the 

 confusion of vision, which is such a common symptom. 

 There is also a certain degree of impairment of memory 

 before complete recovery. A Malay expression, mahok 

 hechuhong (lit. datura intoxication), is used of visionary 

 dreamers. 



Mixtures of Kfechubong.— A Malay proverb nms : 



kechubong b^hulan ganja ('* Datura eaten with Indian 

 hemp • poison added to poison ; worse and worse 

 Indian liemp (ganja) is smuggled into Kelantan from 

 Bengal in the form of the flowering shoots of the female 

 plant before fertilisation of the flowers, and from which 

 the resin has not been removed. The detection of the 

 leaves of Indian hemp (Cannabis sativa, Linn.— Urti- 

 cacese) is described by Burton Brown : The smallest 

 fragment of these leaves may be detected by the 

 microscopical examination of the hairs with which the 

 leaves are covered. These hairs arise from a short base 

 which is at right angles to the surface of the leaf but the 

 greater part of the hair is again bent at right angles, in 

 such a way as to lie parallel to the surface of the leaf, 



