American Poifon called Ticunas. xli 
the milfcles under it in many places, I applied to the part two 
or three tea-fpoons full of the water : in lefs than three minutes 
the animal fell down convuifed, and died foon after. This expe- 
riment ffiews us, that the water of the Lauro-Cerafus is a poifon 
fimilar to the others, and that it operates when infinuated into 
the body by means or wounds made in it. This experiment has 
been attended with fimilar refuits in other warm-blooded ani- 
mals ; but I have always found, that the water of the Lauro- 
Cerafus, when given by the mouth, a£ts more powerfully and 
quicker than in the other way, even when the quantity given 
is fmaller ; a circumftance, in my opinion, that deferves the 
greateft attention, fince it is matter of fa £1, that a large wound 
offers many more veflels to abforb that poifon immediately than 
the mouth and fromach ; befides that the nervous parts ought to 
be more affe£fed from the very ftate in which they are put by the 
wound. It is not the warm-blooded animals alone which are fud- 
denly killed by this water when they are made to drink it, but 
the cold-blooded animals alfo die of the effefts of it ; and what 
appears to me very lingular is, that they die in an extremely 
fhort time, and perhaps more quickly than the others ; which is 
quite contrary to w T hat happens from the other poifons. It may 
fuffice for the prefent to mention eels, which are very difficult 
animals to kill, and ftill continue to move their parts when 
dead. Thefe animals die in a few feconds after having drunk 
the water, and have fcarcely fwallowed it when they begin to 
contra£t themfelves ; but death fuddenly feizes them, and ren- 
ders them immoveable in a moment, without leaving even the 
motion of the parts they ufually have on being handled. The 
heart, indeed, continues to beat, although faintly, but it ceafes 
to move much fooner than when they are killed by cutting off 
the head. Here it cannot be denied but that the mufcular irri- 
tability is extremely affedled, and in a particular manner. I 
know not if there be any cold-blooded animal that refills this 
poifon. Thofe which I tried it on all died ; and I doubt whe- 
ther there be any to which it is not ■ fatal : if fo, it deferves a 
particular diftin£lion, on account of its being the niofi: terrible- 
of all known poifons, as well as for -its umverfaiky in proving 
LXX. F * A fata! 
