10 
Transactions of tlie Boijal Society of South Africa. 
statement, " I feel very ill." She remained in bed for four days on 
antispasmodic treatment, getting up on the fifth day feeling very weak. 
Since then she has quite recovered, but feels certain she will never forget 
the awful sensation of approaching dissolution. The abortive treatment 
was unsuccessful. 
I can only find a record of four cases of nutmeg poisoning, and in two 
the spice was taken with the object of producing abortion — in each case 
uselessly. 
The first : The patient was three months advanced in pregnancy, 
and she took three grated nutmegs, and would have taken more only 
she began to be nauseated. Three hours later she started vomiting, 
and soon relapsed into a state of low muttering delirium. In this case 
also the feeling of impending death was pronounced. This case recovered 
on the second day.'"' 
The second : The patient, aged 26 years, was one week over her 
menstrual period, and she took two bruised nutmegs in a little gin. She 
vomited, was very drowsy, had normal pupils, was giddy and felt ' faint 
on attempting to stand, and complained of a sensation of great tightness 
across the chest. She recovered after two days.f 
The third : A boy, aged 3 years, consumed part of five nutmegs. He 
slept for 30 hours. Symptoms : Vertigo, narcosis, dilated pupils, no 
delirium. :[ 
The fourth : A farmer, who was troubled with boils, took one grated 
nutmeg in milk at night. He found, when he woke at 6 o'clock next 
morning, that he was giddy, could not distinguish objects around, and. 
his head was paining him. When seen by the doctor he appeared drowsy, 
but could be roused when spoken to sharply. He then complained of 
great pain in his head, great thirst, that his mouth and tongue were 
parched, and much numbness of the limbs. Pulse 70, regular ; heart 
sounds normal ; pupils slightly contracted. Except for a slight headache, 
next morning he was quite well.§ 
The greater part of the world's supply of nutmegs comes from the 
Banda Islands, a group in the Malayan Archipelago. These islands are 
subject to alteration in number owing to frequent volcanic eruptions. 
They were discovered by the Portuguese in 1511 and held by them till 
the next century, when the Dutch took possession. From that time 
onwards the ownership drifted between Holland and England, but the 
islands have been Dutch colonies since the Treaty of Paris in 1814. 
The nutmeg of commerce is the dried seed of Myristica fragrans 
divested of its coverings, of which the fibrous substance of crimson 
colour, when dried, becomes the mace of commerce. The seed is 
* Beading, Therap. Gazette, 1892. f Simpson, Lancet, 1895. 
+ Sawyer, N.Y. Med. Journ., 1889. § Bentlif, British Med. Journ., 1889. 
