536 
CONTRIBUTIONS  TO  TOXICOLOGY. 
Poisonous  'properties  of  the  common  Yetv-tree. 
Dujardin,  veterinary  surgeon  of  Bayeux,  has  observed  some 
cases  of  poisoning  by  Taxus  baccata  ;  horses,  sheep,  cows,  asses 
and  other  animals  died  several  hours  after  they  bad  eaten  of  the 
leaves.  The  poisonous  properties,  however,  were  known  to  the 
ancients.  According  to  Plutarch,  its  smoke  killed  the  cats. 
Strabo  says  that  the  Gauls  poisoned  their  lance  points  with  its 
juice.  Theophrastus  declares  the  leaves  poisonous  for  horses, 
but  not  for  cattle.  Plinius  relates,  that  wine  which  had  been 
put  in  barrels  made  of  its  wood,  occasioned  the  death  of  those 
who  drank  of  it.  Dioscorides  says,  its  berries  are  poison  to  birds. 
Other  authors  speak  of  the  dying  of  fishes,  in  water  into  which 
its  roots  had  been  thrown.    (Journ.  de  Chim.  Med.) 
Hydrocyanic  Acid  in  a  corpse,  three  weeks  after  death, 
by  Brame. 
A  young  man,  of  Tours,  poisoned  himself  with  medicinal 
hydrocyanic  acid  of  l-12th  strength,  of  which  he  took  about 
25  grm.  Three  weeks  after  his  interment,  I  was  called  to  try  to 
find  the  poison  in  the  corpse.  I  succeeded  in  recognizing  it,  and 
ascertaining  the  quantity  of  what  had  remained  in  the  stomach. 
Nitrate  of  silver  produced  a  yellowish  precipitate,  which,  after 
washing  and  drying  in  vacuo,  assumed  a  grayish  color;  it  wras 
soluble  in  ammonia  and  cyanuret  of  potassium.  By  decomposi- 
tion with  potassium,  cyanuret  of  potassium  was  obtained,  of 
which  cyanic  acid  and  Prussian  blue  could  be  easily  prepared. 
Suspended  in  water,  hydrosulphuric  acid  decomposed  it,  leaving, 
after  separating  the  sulphuret  of  silver,  a  clear  solution  of  hydro- 
cyanic acid  ;  which  could  also  be  obtained  by  decomposition  with 
hydrochloric  acid,  the  vapors  of  the  resulting  solution  producing 
a  white  precipitate  in  nitrate  of  silver,  soluble  in  ammonia.  The 
original  precipitate,  on  heating,  generated  cyanogen  and  a  little 
water ;  on  heating  with  caustic  potassa  no  ammonia  was  evolved. 
Three  weeks  after  interment,  the  hydrocyanic  acid  still  re- 
mained in  the  stomach,  apparently  without  having  entered  into  a 
chemical  composition.  I  was  able  to  collect  yet  about  0.60  grm. 
of  cyanuret  of  silver,  corresponding  with  0.12  grm.  hydrocyanic 
acid.    (Gaz.  Med.  de  Paris,  1855,  No.  47.) 
