xii Abbe fontana on the 
except with its natural colour ; nor does it tinge the vegetable' 
juices, either red or green. When examined with the microfcope, 
there is no appearance of regularity or of cryftallization ; but it. 
is for the moft part made up of very fmall irregular roundiili 
bodies, like vegetable juices. It dries without making any noife* 
In which it differs from the poifon of the viper, and it has 
an extremely bitter tafte when put upon the tongue. 
From all which I deduce, that it is neither an acid nor 
an alkali, nor compofed of falts that are vifible even with the 
microfcope. 
It was not fo much through curiofity as on account of tho 
order which I had prefcribed to myfelf in making my experi- 
ments, that I was led to examine if this poifon is fatal to life* 
when applied immediately to the eyes, or if it excites any difeafe 
or irritation of the parts, I had before found, that the poifon of 
the viper was as Innocent when put upon the eyes as it is in the 
mouth and in the ftomach, whence I was curious to fee the ana- 
logy between thefe two poifon s, both fo adtive, and yet of fuch 
different origins. 
I began, therefore, by putting a fmall quantity of it, diffolved 
in water, on the eye of a Guinea-pig. The animal {hewed no 
iigns of fuffering, neither at the time nor afterwards, nor was tho 
eye in the leaft inflamed* Two hours after, I repeated the expe- 
riment on both the eyes of the fame animal, and with a greater 
quantity of the poifon ; but the pig did not feel the leaft incon- 
venience, and the eyes remained in the natural ftate. I tried the- 
experiments on the eyes of two other Guinea-pigs with the 
fame fuccefs, which conftantly attended all the experiments 
which I afterwards made on the eyes of many other animals* 
and efpeciaily on thofe of rabbits. I could never obferve that it 
made any alteration in their eyes any more than if I had bathed 
them with pure water : from whence, I think, it may be con- 
cluded, that the American poifon is not in the leaft hurtful when; 
applied to the eyes, and that it exerts no* extraordinary adtion 
upon them. 
But will it be innocent when taken in by the mouth and 
fwaliowed ? Mr. de l a cond amine, and all others who have 
treated 
