NAT. ORDER. MULTISILIQU^. 
107 
the cause of his disease ; and, to convince the company that it was 
perfectly innocent, he eat freely of its leaves ; but he suffered for 
his imprudence, as he shoi-tly died in great agony. 
Medical Properties and Uses. This plant has been generally 
prepared as an extract, or inspissated juice, after the manner di- 
rected in the Edinburgh, and many of the foreign pharmacopoeias ; 
and, like all virulent medicines, it should be first administered in 
small doses, 
Storeck recommends two grains of the extract to be rubbed 
into a powder, with two drachms of sugar ; and to begin with ten 
grains of this powder, two or three times a day. We find, how- 
ever, that the extract is often given from one grain to ten for a 
dose ; and some physicians even increase from this quantity. In- 
stead of the extract, a tincture may be made from the dried 
leaves, macerated in six times their weight of spirits of wine, 
forty drops of which may be given for a dose. 
Modern experiments prove this plant to be powerfully nar- 
cotic and diaphoretic ; and it is now frequently ?ipplied to cancers 
and cancerous tumors, &c. But we cannot conceive that cancer 
can be cured either by its internal or external administration, al- 
though it has been strongly recommended in that disease. But 
from the uncertainty of its strength, and its operation, we rarely 
find it used at the present day, especially in the United States. 
Even its external application is not unattended with danger; 
therefore, if applied to cancerous sores, or other tumors, it must 
be with great caution. There are other species of Aconite, which 
were formerly in use, possessing similar properties to the one 
here described ; but from their having fallen into disuse, it will be 
unnecessary tc describe them in this place. 
