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56 MANCHINEEL. 
All parts of the Manchineel tree abound with a white 
milky sap, which is very poisonous, and so caustic, that 
a single drop received upon the back of the hand imme- 
diately produces the sensation of the touch of a coal of 
fire, and soon raises a watery blister. The Indians, 
according to Hawkins, used to poison their arrows with 
this juice, which retained its venom for a long time. 
Another and much more deadly poison was commonly 
used for this purpose, however, by the American savages 
of the warmer parts of America, namely, the warari, 
chiefly obtained from the juice of the Strychnos, and this 
was distinguishable by producing the effect of tetanus or 
lock-jaw, which, mostly fatal, was sometimes protracted 
for several days before producing death. It is reported, 
that many of the Europeans who first landed in Surinam 
died suddenly from sleeping under this tree; and there 
may probably be some foundation in truth for such 
reports, when we take into consideration the volatile 
nature of the poisonous principle of these plants. As in 
the venomous species of Rhus or Sumach, also, while 
many individuals are affected by the poison, others, for 
no evident reason, can touch or handle these plants with 
impunity. Hence, though Jacquin asserts that he re- 
posed under the shade of the Manchineel for the space 
of 3 hours without experiencing any inconvenience, it 
does not follow that it would be equally harmless to all 
who should hazard the experiment; and with a laudable 
prudence, the inhabitants of Martinique formerly burnt 
down whole woods of the Manchineel in order to clear 
their country of so dangerous a pest. 
Catesby acknowledges that he was not sufficiently 
satisfied of its poisonous qualities “till assisting in the 
cutting down a tree of this kind on Andros Island, I paid 
for my incredulity; some of the milky poisonous juice 
spurting in my eyes, I was two days totally deprived of 
