Osgood's Observations on the Veratrum Viride. 203 
The early history of this plant is involved in much obscu- 
rity. Our accounts of its medicinal use by the aborigines 
are altogether vague and unsatisfactory. It appears to have 
been known to them rather as a poison than a medicine. Its 
use in the election of their chiefs is noticed by Joselin, an 
early visiter to this country, who calls it " white hellebore." 
According to this writer, that individual whose stomach was 
least susceptible to its deleterious effects, was regarded as the 
" strongest of the party, and entitled to command the rest" 
It has been long and extensively used for the destruction of 
vermin and birds. Among many of the farmers of New Eng- 
land, it still continues a common practice to protect their corn 
fields from the havoc of birds, by scattering the ground with 
kernels of corn saturated in a strong infusion of the root: this 
is done just as the corn is springing from the ground, it being 
then most liable to depredations from the feathered tribe. 
With many it is customary to subject their seed corn to the 
same process before planting. A short time after partaking 
of corn thus prepared, muscular action becomes so much 
paralyzed as to prevent either flying or walking, and in this 
torpid state they are readily taken and killed. Unless caught 
while thus narcotized, many of them recover and fly away. 
The analogy in external appearance between this species 
and the Veratrum album of Europe, was the circumstance 
which first led to an investigation of its medicinal properties. 
But notwithstanding this analogy in botanical affinities, there 
is a decided difference in their medicinal operations — the 
album being hydragogue cathartic; whereas, the viride has 
not the slightest laxative effect. So far as I am acquainted, 
this plant has never been the subject of a thorough analysis. 
It is commonly said to contain the proximate active principle 
veratrine as the seat of its medicinal properties. This opinion, 
however, seems to be entirely gratuitous, being drawn from 
its analogy in its external appearance with the European spe- 
cies, rather than from actual investigation. If we consult 
analogy in medicinal properties, instead of external appear- 
ance, our conclusions will be more rationally founded. This 
is, indeed, the only analogy that can give much weight to an 
