36 
NAT. ORDER.— SOLANEiE. 
leaves, furnish us with numerous instances of their deleterious and 
fatal effects, acting upon children, in all respects similar to those 
of the Atropa belladonna. The number of these berries necessary 
to produce deleterious effects, may probably depend upon the 
state of maturity in which they are eaten. If not more than three 
or four be swallowed, according to Haller's account, no very seri- 
ous consequences are apprehended ; but, when a greater number 
of the berries are taken into the stomach, scarcely half an hour 
elapses before violent symptoms supervene ; snch as vertigo, deli- 
rium, great thirst, painful deglution, and retching, followed by fu- 
ror, stridor dentium, and convulsions ; the eyelids are drawn down, 
the uvea dilated and immovable ; the face becomes red and tumid, 
and spasms affect the mouth and jaw ; the general sensibility and 
irritability of the body suffer such great diminution, that the stom- 
ach often bears large and repeated doses of the most active emet- 
ics, without being brought into action ; the pulse is small, hard, 
quick, and subsultas tendinum, risus sardonius and coma, generally 
precede death. The body being opened, inflammation will be 
discovered in the intestines, mesentery and liver. We are informed 
of a case where the stomach of a child was found eroded in three 
places. It may be necessary to remark, that vinegar, taken freely 
into the stomach, has been found very efficacious in obviating the 
effects of this poison : evacuations should, however, in this case, 
be always first promoted. 
Many other recent facts of the same kind might be quoted 
from various publications. Ray found, by applying the leaves of 
this plant near the eye, a remarkable relaxation of the uvea was 
produced. Sauvages supposes that this was the plant which pro- 
duced such strange and dreadful effects upon the Roman soldiers 
during their retreat (under the command of Anthony) from the 
Parthians. They are said to have " suffered great distress for 
want of provisions, and were urged to eat unknown plants. 
Among others, they met with an herb that was mortal ; he that 
