220 
POISONOUS EFFECTS OF THE YEW. 
If, still, he is making more haste than good speed, the lancet 
and the Epsom salts are, I repeat, very good things, and so is old 
John Lawrence’s digesting ground — a pasture tolerably bare, and 
where the sheep must work somewhat hard for a belly-full. He 
may depend upon it, that food, too much and too good food , lies 
at the bottom of the whole. As to the pleurisy which you so 
accurately described, there may be something in your friend’s 
“ low and marshy ground” which predisposes to pulmonary com- 
plaints, oftener however to hepatic ones. Where cough is per- 
ceived, the lancet may be had recourse to if that cough is violent, 
and Epsom salts (the dose two ounces) and followed by doses of 
pulv. digital. 5 ss, potassse nit. 5i, flor. sulph. 9j mixed up with a 
little gruel, and given daily, or twice in the day, in bad cases ; but 
I have far more faith in the preventive which I have pointed out. 
And now, my dear Sir, I have seemed to neglect you, and 
perhaps I have added to the offence by lecturing your friend 
at some length. I cannot help it. I have the pleasure of re- 
collecting you at the University; and I trust that you will be- 
lieve me to be Very faithfully your’s, 
W. YOU ATT. 
POISONOUS EFFECTS OF THE BERRIES AND 
LEAVES OF THE YEW (TAXUS BACCATA). 
%s amuel Hurt, Esq., Mansfield. 
Ra y says, in his “ Synopsis Stirpium,” (t Doodv, ut ipse refert, 
baccas absque not a corned it.” Withering says, “ the berries are 
sweet and viscid ; children often eat them in large quantities 
without inconvenience. Swine and fieldfares are fond of them.” 
Sir J. E. Smith, in his" English Flora,” says, "the berries 
have a sweet mawkish taste, and may be eaten without danger.” 
In " Beck’s Elements of Medical Jurisprudence” two fatal cases 
are quoted from Metzer, in consequence of eating the leaves and 
berries. Professor Lindley says, in his " Introduction to the 
Natural System of Botany,” 1830, p. 250, " the succulent cover- 
ing of the yew fruit (seed) is fetid, and said to be deleterious by 
Decandolle: we all know that its seeds, if eaten, are highly dan- 
gerous.” It seems to be universally allowed that the leaves are 
exceedingly poisonous to cattle, as well as to the human species; 
and they appear to produce their effects in a very sudden man- 
ner. Dr. Percivall relates that a table-spoonful of the fresh leaves 
were administered to three children of five, four, and three years 
old, severally, near Manchester, for worms. Yawning and list- 
