106 
NAT. ORDER. — MULTiSILIQU^. 
culiar idiosyncrasy of the body, rather than to the power of the 
plant. 
Ray observes that the Napellus loses much of its virulence, by 
being transplanted from the mountains into our gardens ; and this 
observation has been confirmed by the experiment of D. Martin- 
us Bernhardus, of Germany. The root of the Napellus is an im- 
mediate poison to almost all animals. Many experiments v^ith it 
have been made upon wolves, cats, dogs, mice, &c. Cows and 
goats, by being forced to eat this plant, perish within a very short 
time. 
From such facts as we are able to gather from various authors, 
in relation to this plant, it appears that Storeck was the first who 
gave the Wolf's-bane internally as a medicine ; and since his ex- 
periments were published, in 1702, it has been often successfully 
employed in Germany, and the northern parts of Europe, particu- 
larly as a remedy for obstinate rheumatisms. Many cases are 
related, where this disease was of several years' standing, and had 
withstood the efficacy of other powerful medicines, such as mer- 
cury, opium, antimony, cicuta, &c. ; yet, in a short time, were en- 
tirely cured by the Aconitum. Instances are also given us of its 
good effects in gout, scrofulous swellings, venereal nodes, amauro- 
sis, intermittent fevers. Sic. 
Bergius describes its virtues as being highly valuable. Nu- 
merous facts have been collected from a number of fatal instances 
of its poisonous effects, some of which we shall mention. The 
root was given, by way of experiment, to four condemned crimi- 
nals — two at Rome, in the year 1524, and two at Prague, in 1561, 
of whom two soon perished ; the other two, with great difficulty, 
recovered. It has frequently been eaten by mistake for other 
plants, and proved fatal. The following remarkable fact is said to 
have happened at Sweden : — A person having eaten some of the 
fresh leaves of the Napellus, became maniacal ; and the surgeon 
who was called to his assistance declared that the plant was not 
