A T R 
in (mail doles it was ufed medicinally, and particularly as 
an opiate. 
2. Atropa belladonna, or deadly nightfhade, or dvvale : 
dem lierbaceous, leaves ovate entire, peduncles one-flow¬ 
ered. Deadly nightfhade lias a perennial, thick, long, 
branching, root, fending out ftrong, herbaceous, upright, 
round, trichotomous, branching, (terns, from three to five 
feet, and fometimes fix feet, in height, frequently tinged 
with purple. The blanches are dichotomous. The root- 
leaves are often a foot long, and five inches broad ; the 
Item-leaves are petioled, acute, foft, dulky green above 
and paler green beneath, a little hairy on botli (ides, and 
fattifir to the touch, changing to a purple colour in the 
autumn : theve-are generally two leaves at each branch, 
one (mailer than the other, running down along the (hort 
pietiole. Peduncles axillary, one-flowered. Flowers large, 
nodding, void of feent. Calyx dirty green. It is a native 
of Europe, particularly of Auftrla and England, in church¬ 
yards and on dung-hills, fkulking in gloomy lanes and un¬ 
cultivated places : in other countries it is faid to be com¬ 
mon in woods and hedges. With us it is not fo common 
in a wild date, but that the placeswhere it hasbeen found 
may be fet down. About Fill born in Cambridgefhire ; 
near Wifbeach, in the ifle of Ely ; Holland in Lincoln- 
fit ire ; between Temsford-mills and Welwyn in Herts; 
Charley-foreft and Grace Dieu in Leicefterfhire ; North 
Luffenham, in Rutland ; Sutton-Colfield, in Warwickfliire ; 
Clifton-hill, near Nottingham and Mansfield, in the fame 
county; and in Weftmoreland. Mr. Miller obferved it 
in Woodftock-park in Oxfordfhire ; and in Up-park in 
Hampfhire. In the counties round London it is not very 
common; it has however been remarked about Rochefter, 
between that and Maidflone, and near Feverfliam, in Kent; 
about Harefield and More-park, near Rickmanfworth; at 
Dorking, in Surrey; and by old Gerarde, near Highgate. 
When this plant was found to differ from the folanums or 
nightfhades, it afTunied the Italian name of belladonna , 
which was given it, according to fome, becaufe it was ufed 
as a wafli among the ladies, to take off pimples and other 
excrefcences from the fkin ; or, according to others, from 
its quality of reprefenting phantaftns of beautiful women 
to the diflurbed imagination. The qualities of this plant 
are malignant, and it is extremely poifonous in all its parts. 
Numerous inffances have occurred of the berries proving 
fatal, after caufing convulfions, delirium, &c. Buchanan 
relates the deflrudfion of the army of Sweno the Dane, 
when he invaded Scotland, by the berries of this plant, 
which were mixed with the drink which the Scots, accord¬ 
ing to truce, were to fupply the Danes with. The Danes 
became fo inebriated, that the Scottifh army fell on them 
in their deep, and flew fuch numbers that there were 
f'carcely men enough left to carry off their king. The 
cafe related by Mr. Ray is remarkable, viz. the dilatation 
of the pupil of the eye, caufed by a part of the leaf of this 
plant applied outwardly, and which took place fuccefllvely 
on the repetition of the experiment. With refpedt to the 
berries, they have been frequently known to have been 
fatal to children ; and, if a conliderable number are eaten, 
to grown perfons likewife. The fymptoms are faid to oc¬ 
cur in lefs titan half an hour after taking them, and con- 
fid of vertigo, great third, delirium, fwelling and rednefs 
of the Face, &c. The general fenfibility of the fydem is 
faid to be weakened to a great degree, fo that the domach 
will bear a far larger dofe of emetic medicines than it would 
otherwife have done. Vinegar liberally drunk has been 
found efficacious in obviating the effects of the poifon. 
Dr. Hill relates a very remarkable cafe which occurred 
under his own obfervation : a labourer found fome of the 
plant in the park of a nobleman where he was repairing 
the pales : he ate heartily of the berries, and gave fome to 
his children. After two hours he grew giddy, and was 
unable to (land ; was extremely thirdy, complained of 
dreadful pain in his bread, and difficulty of breathing. He 
afterwards fell into violent ravings, which continued, with 
flight intervals, during great part of the night. All this time 
O P A. 487 
he was alfo afflifted with a very painful flrangii3ry. He re¬ 
covered, however, fometime afterwards, without the affid- 
ance of medicine ; but both the children died in the night. 
A remarkable indance of the malignant powers of this 
plant occurred a few years dnee in the botanic garden at 
Cambridge, which fully proved, that the young (hoots, 
early in the year, are not lefs deleterious than the berries. 
The leaves are laid to have been fometimes fuccefsfully 
applied in cancerous tumours. The ingenious Dr. Milne, 
in his “ Indigenous Botany,” has very properly remarked, 
that nature has been more parfimonious in her warnings, 
with relpedt to this plant, than to others of the fame natural 
family. Neither the fmell nor the fade is ofl'enfive ; and, 
if the colour of the flowers proves in fome degree a repel¬ 
lent, that of the fruit, on the other hand, is in an equal 
degree, at lead, attractive and inviting. Accordingly bel¬ 
ladonna, notwithdanding its deleterious nature, is not to¬ 
tally excluded the precinfts of phyde : nay fome difeafes, 
and thofe of the mod malignant kind, have been known 
to yield to the anodyne and antifpafmodic virtues of this 
plant, when adminillered with caution, after refiding the 
force of medicines, more innocent indeed, but of lefs pow¬ 
erful efficacy. Bergius relates, that he has often given re¬ 
lief in epilepfy and convulfions, by the internal Life of the 
powder of the leaves, taken in doles of from one to four 
grains twice a day ; and Gefner, in his Medical Epiflles, 
recommends the exprefied juice of the berries, boiled with 
fugar into a fyrup, and given a tea-fpoonful at a time, as 
excellent in every cafe requiring an opiate, and as pecu¬ 
liarly efficacious in the cure of the dyfentery. 
3. Atropa phyfaloides, or Peruvian deadly nightfiiade, 
or blue-flowered atropa : dem herbaceous, leaves finuate- 
angular, calyxes clofed acutangular. Root fibrous, annual. 
Stem two feet high, fpreading, ereft ; branches angular. 
The dem, though herbaceous, is very drong ; in our gar¬ 
dens four or five feet high, and of a purplifh colour, divi¬ 
ding into feveral branches, fpreading out wide on every 
fide. Leaves oblong, deeply (innate, deep green. Berries 
about the fize of common cherries, incloled in a large fwel¬ 
ling bladder, having five (harp angles. It flowers in July* 
and the feeds ripen in autumn. Father Feuillee, who firft 
difeovered this plant in Peru, recommends it greatly for 
its virtues, and fays, the Indians make great ufe of its ber¬ 
ries to bring away the gravel, and to relieve perfons who 
have a doppage of urine, and gives the manner of tiling 
them ; which is, to bruif'e four or five of them either in 
common water or white wine. The younger Juffieu fent 
the feeds to Mr. Miller, who cultiuated this plant in 1759. 
4. Atropa folanacea: dem fhrubby, peduncles folitary, 
corollas bell-fhaped, leaves fubovate. Stem fix feet high, 
fhrubby, fomewhat branching, and angular. Native of the 
Cape of Good Hope. 
5. Atropa arborefeens, or tree atropa : dem fhrubby, 
peduncles crowded, corollas revolute, leaves oblong. This 
is a fmall tree, or rather a fhrub. Stem l mooth, branched; 
branches fubdivided, round, fcarred, rugged. Native of 
South America and Jamaica, on the temperate mountains 3 
flowering in autumn. The berries are commonly full of 
fome worm. 
6. Atropa frutefeens, or fhrubby atropa : dem fhrubby, 
peduncles crowded, leaves cordate-ovate, obtufe. This 
rifes with a dirubby dem to the height of fix or eight feet, 
and divides into many branches. Leaves alternate, round, 
in diape like thofe of the dorax tree. The flowers come 
out between the leaves upon (hort peduncles, and are fha- 
ped like thofe of deadly nightfhade, but are much (mailer, 
of a dirty yellowifh colour, with a few brown (tripes : they 
are never fucceeded by berries in England. It is a native 
of Spain ; and was cultivated by Mr. Miller in 1739. 
7 Atropa berbacea, or herbaceous atropa : dem herba¬ 
ceous, leaves ovate-nerved, with waved edges. Root pe¬ 
rennial, purting out feveral channelled lierbaceous dems, 
about two feet high, dividing towards the top into two or 
three fmall branches. Leaves four inches long and three 
broad, having feveral traulverfe prominent ribs on their 
under 
