ON OIL OP COPAIVA. 
69 
The oil of copaiva is absorbed from the stomach. Im- 
mediately after death has taken place, it can be detected by 
the odor in the abdomen, but not in the blood. The urine 
acquires a strong odor of the oil. The experiments on the 
odor of the breath cannot be relied on, as, by the introduc- 
tion of the oil through the mouth, the latter is easily soiled 
by it, and then acquires the smell of the oil. 
The volatile oil of copaiva, moreover, causes a similar 
^hange in the organism to that produced by the oils of lemon 
and turpentine, and juniper. The stomach is neither in- 
flamed nor reddened ; in one case small blood discs were 
perceived in it, in another instance the innermost layer of 
the glandular coat was softened. The small intestine is so 
far changed, that its epithelium was removed and converted 
into mucus. The large intestine was, in one instance, where 
the oil did not reach it, perfectly normal. In another case, 
where the oil had reached it, no epithelium was perceived, 
and one spot was inflamed. 
The chief symptoms in cases of poisoning with oil of 
copaiva are, frequent but not very powerful pulsation of 
the heart ; greatly accelerated respiration ; frequent emission 
of urine, mostly in small quantities ; frequent excretions of 
faeces, which are at first shaped, but afterwards pasty, and 
at last mucous and mixed with blood. Muscular weakness 
increases ; in most cases a diminished sensibility, slow res- 
piration, frequent and very feeble pulsation of the heart, 
lying on the side, and death without convulsions. It ap- 
pears that death was produced by the passage of the oil into 
the blood, and not from the bowels. 
Upon the skin of man the effect of the oil of copaiva is 
much weaker than that of the oils of lemon and turpentine, 
and weaker than that of the oil of juniper. In one case, 
where a spot on the back of the hand was moistened for an 
hour with the oil, no burning was experienced ; in another 
case a very slight burning was felt only at last. 
The oils of lemon, turpentine, juniper, and copaiva, agree 
