CICUTA, OR WATER HEMLOCK. 9 
The woman followed these directions, using one root instead of 
two. An hour later her husband complained of pain and was nause-. 
ated, afterwards falling senseless. Apparently he did not entirely 
lose consciousness, for he was helped into the home and sat down, but 
soon fell unconscious and shortly afterwards died, his death occurring 
about two hours after eating the cake. 
It was shown by examination that the root furnished by the 
fortune teller was that of Cicuta viresa. 
THE POISONOUS PRINCIPLE OF CICUTA. 
When the rootstock of Cicuta is cut open, drops of an aromatic oil 
are noted, which give the root its peculiar odor, and this oil is popu- 
larly thought to be the poisonous substance. The poisonous principle, 
however, is not in the oil but in a resin, and has been separated under 
the name of cicutoxin and especially studied by Boehm, 1875-76, 
Wikzemski, 1875, and Pohl, 1894. It has properties similar to 
picrotoxin and with these two are commonly grouped coriamyrtin, 
cnanthotoxin, and santonin. 
Kunkel, 1901, p. 934, describes this poisonous principle as a clear 
brown, sticky resin with an acid reaction, which does not harden 
when dried. It is soluble in ether, alcohol, chloroform, and dilute 
alkalis, and is precipitated from alkaline solutions by acids. It is 
slightly soluble in cold water and more readily in hot water. 
Wikzemski, 1875, gives in detail the results of subcutaneous injec- 
tions of the poison in frogs. His conclusions are as follows: 
(1) The poisonous principle of Cicuta virosa produces in frogs clonic-tonic convul- 
sions of the whole body and in doses of 4 to 6 milligrams of the ether extract kills with 
paralysis. 
(2) The effect of the poison limits itself to the central nervous system. The activity 
of the heart and organs of respiration is influenced in a secondary way. 
(8) The principal effect of the Cicuta poison 1s upen the “convulsion center” at 
the end of the medulla oblongata. The upper part of the brain is not affected, while 
the terminal paralysis of the spinal cord apparently results from the complete exhaus- 
tion following the convulsions. 
EXPERIMENTAL WORK. 
EXPERIMENTS IN COLORADO. 
_ Creuta occidentalis grew in considerable abundance along the ditches 
in the irrigated land of Ohio Creek Valley, Colo., at the head of which 
the Mount Carbon Station was located. The ranchers recognize it as 
a poisonous plant and some of them make a business of cutting it out. 
It is never, however, entirely destroyed, and sometimes large quanti- 
ties of it are cut with the hay. 
24138°—Bull. 69—14——2 
