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monk’s-hood, in botany, a genus of plants 
of the Trigynia order and Polyandria class, 
and pertaining to the natural order of Mul- 
tisiliquas. In the last edition of Linnmus, by 
Gmelin, this genus comprehends fourteen 
species ; most of the species of aconite have 
been deemed poisonous. The ancients 
were so surprised at their pernicious eifects, 
that they were afraid to touch the plants ; 
and hence sprung many superstitious pre- 
cautions about the manner of gathering 
them. Theophrastus relates that there was 
a mode of preparing the aconite in his days, 
so that it should only destroy at the end of 
one or two years. But some have questioned 
whether the aconite of Theophrastus, Di- 
oscorides, Pliny, and other ancient writers, 
be the same with ours, or should be refer- 
red to the genus ofKanunculus. It is confi- 
dently affirmed, that the huntsmen on the 
Alps, who hunt the wolves, and other wild 
animals, dip then arrows into the juice of 
these plants, which renders the wounds 
occasioned by them mortal. A decoction 
of the roots has been used to kill bugs ; 
and the powder disguised in bread, or some 
other palatable vehicle, has been employed 
to destroy rats and mice. The A. napellus, 
or common monk’s-hood, has been long 
known as one of the most virulent of all vege- 
table poisons. Liunreus says, that it is fatal to 
swine and goats, but does no injury to horses, 
who eat it dry. He also informs us, from the 
Stockholm Acts, that an ignorant surgeon 
died in consequence of taking the fresh leaves, 
which he prescribed to a patient. The ef- 
fluvia of the herb in full flower have pro- 
duced swooning fits, and a temporary loss of 
sight. The leaves and shoots of this plant, 
used as salad, instead of celery, have 
proved fatal in several instances. But the 
most powerful part of the plant is the root. 
Matthiolus relates, that it was given by 
way of experiment to four condemned cri- 
minals, two at Rome in 1524, and two at 
Prague in 1561, two of whom soon died, 
and the other two, with great difficulty, 
were recovered. The juice applied to the 
wound of a finger, not only produced pain 
in the arm and hand, but cardialgia, anxiety, 
sense of suffocation, syncope, &c. and the 
wounded part sphacelated before it came to 
suppuration. Dodomeus says, that five 
persons at Antwerp died in consequence of 
eating it by mistake. The effects of this 
plant are convulsions, giddiness, insa- 
nity, violent evacuations, both upwards 
and downwards, huntings, cold sweat, and 
eyen death itself. Nevertheless it has been 
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used for medicinal purposes. . The Indians 
are said to use aconite, corrected in cow’s 
urine, with good success against fevers. 
There is one species of it which hWbeen 
deemed an antidote to those that are poi- 
sonous, called anthora, and those that are 
poisonous are called thora. The taste of 
the root of the species denominated an- 
thora, is sweet, with a mixture of bitter- 
ness and acrimony, and the smell is plea- 
sant. It purges violently when fresh, but 
loses its qualities when dried. This is poi- 
sonous as well as the others, though in 
a slighter degree, and is disused in the 
present practice. The first person who 
ventured to introduce the common monk’s- 
hood into medicine was Dr. Stoerek. 
Stoerck recommends two grains of the ex- 
tract to be nibbed into a powder, with 
two drams of sugar, and to begin with ten 
grains of this powder two or three times 
a-day. The extract is often given from one 
grain to ten for a dose; and some have 
considerably increased the quantity. In- 
stead of the extract, a tincture has been 
made of the dried leaves, macerated in six 
times their weight of spirits of wine, and 
forty drops given for a dose. 
ACORN, an ornamental piece of wood, 
in the shape of a cone, fixed to the top of 
the spindle of a mast-head, above the vane, 
to keep it from coming off the spindle. 
ACORUS, in botany, the sweet flag, or 
sweet msh, a genus of the Monogynia or- 
der,. and Hexandria class of plants, and be- 
longing tp tlie natural order of Piperitie. 
There are’ two species, viz. the A. calamus, 
or common sweet rush, of which there are 
two varieties, the vulgaris, or European 
sweet rush, or calamus aromaticus, and the 
Asiaticus or Indian calamus aromaticus. 
The common calamus aromaticus grows 
naturally on the banks of the rivers, and in 
shallow standing waters; and is found in 
many parts of England, but is much more 
plentiful in the standing waters of Holland, 
and is common in many other parts of Eu- 
rope. The Indian calamus, which grows 
not only in marsh ditches, but in more ele- 
vated and dry places, in Malabar, Ceylon, 
Amboyna, and other parts of the East 
Indies, differs but little from the European, 
except that it is more tender and narrow, 
and of a more hot and pungent taste; and A. 
gramineus, or Chinese sweet-grass, has the 
roots in tufts, with a few thready fibres. 
The whole herb has an aromatic smell when 
bruised, resembling the English sweet-flag,' 
from which it is distinguished by the short- 
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