428 
LIEUT. NEWBOLD ON THE IPOH POISON. 
and generally about eight inches long, tapering to a fine point ; this is coated with 
the poison, which is allowed to inspissate thereon for the space of an inch or so. 
They then cut the arrow slightly all round at the part where the coat of poison ends, 
consequently it almost invariably snaps off on piercing the flesh of the victim, leaving 
the envenomed point rankling in the wound. At the other end of the arrow is a cone 
of light pith-like wood, which is fitted to the tube of the Sumpitan, and assists mate- 
rially in the propulsion and direction of the arrow. 
From experiments I caused some of the aborigines to make with these poisoned 
weapons on living animals in my presence, I am enabled to offer the Society the fol- 
lowing results, showing the efficacy of the Kennik preparation. A squirrel died in 12 
minutes ; young dogs in from 3 7 to 40 minutes ; a fowl in two hours : one lingered 
hours. Three arrows tipped with the Mallaye preparation, it is affirmed, would 
kill a man in less than an hour, and a tiger in less than three hours. 
According to the aborigines the only remedy against the poison is the recent juice 
of the Lemmah-kapiting, rubbed round and into the wound, and afterwards over the 
limb into which the puncture has been made. The arrow seldom penetrates farther 
than an inch, snapping off as mentioned above. 
The following are the symptoms evinced by a strong healthy pup, struck in the 
right hip ; penetration of the arrow about one fourth of an inch only. Six minutes 
after being wounded it demonstrated signs of uneasiness, yawned and moaned. In 
10^ minutes it grew sick ; vomited the contents of the stomach ; continued vomiting 
at intervals, bringing up small quantities of a white frothy-looking fluid. In 16 mi- 
nutes the muscles of the chest and diaphragm were powerfully excited ; slight convul- 
sive twitchings in the legs. In 20 minutes it fell on its side, foamed much at the mouth ; 
again got on its legs, and struggled violently as if to get loose. In 23 minutes it was 
still foaming at the mouth, and had an involuntary alvine evacuation ; it then again 
fell down after painful retching, made ineffectual attempts to vomit, and continued 
in this state, the efforts to relieve the stomach and chest gradually becoming weaker, 
till at 37 minutes after the insertion of the poison it died strongly convulsed. 
On dissection by Mr. Maurice, the surgeon of the 23rd Regiment, M.N.I., a frothy 
saliva-like fluid was discovered in the stomach ; the gall-bladder distended with bile ; 
the intestines unusually pale. In the cavity of the thorax on each side were found 
about four drachms of a serous fluid. The brain and spinal chord, I regret to say, 
were not examined. 
By reason of the complicated nature of its preparation, it would be difficult to de- 
cide from the above train of symptoms whether the Upas poison should or should 
not be classed, as it has been by some writers, among the narcotico-acrid vegetable 
poisons. 
Quere, whether the Lemmah-kapiting, a shrub said by natives to be the only anti- 
dote against it, bears any botanical affinity to the Feuillea cordifolia, ascertained by 
Monsieur Drapiez to be a most powerful antidote agains vegetable poison. The 
