Thomson's Conspectus of the British pharmacopoeias.

  • Anthony Todd Thomson
Date:
1852
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Thomson's Conspectus of the British pharmacopoeias. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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    be recognised by its physical qualities; the fruit is a hairy small pepo. Treatment. Little is to be done except supporting the habit by cordials and opium, and the exhibition of enemas of starch, opium, and cam- phor. EUPHORBIUM. See Spurge. FOXGLOVE. {Digitalis Purpurea folia.) An acro-narcotic vege- table poison. Symptoms. Intermitting pulse, vertigo, indistinct vision, nausea, hic- cough, cold sweats, delirium, syncope, convulsions, and death. Morbid Appearances. The stomach and intestinal canal display scarcely any morbid alteration; but the lungs are crepitant, and the blood contained in the ventricles is generally in a fluid state. Test. Unless the plant or the entire leaves be found in the recent or properly dried state, or the powder be procured, it is impossible to determine that this poison has been employed, except from the symptoms. Treatment. Exhibit cordials, as, for example, brandy, aromatic con- fection, and opium; and apply a blister to rhe pit of the stomach. FOOL'S PARSLEY. (JEthusa Cynapium.) An acro-narcotic vege- table poison. Symptoms. Heat of throat, thirst, vomiting, and occasionally diarrhoea; difficult respiration; a small, frequent pulse; cephalalgia, vertigo, and delirium. Morbid Appearances. Marks of inflammation in the oesophagus and stomach, the spleen livid, and the ventricles of the heart filled with black fluid blood. Test. This plant is distinguished from parsley by the involucels, which consist of three long linear leaflets, pendent on one side of each um- bellul; by its nauseous odour, when the leaves are rubbed between the fingers, and the very dark green colour of the upper disc of its leaves. Treatment. Give emetics and demulcent fluids in sufficient quantity to excite vomiting ; bleeding and aperients. FUNGUSES, comprehending AGARICS and POISONOUS MUSH- ROOMS, {Fungi.) Acro-narcotic vegetable poisons. The poisonous fungi belong chiefly to the genus AMANITA : namely, A. bulbosa alba, A. citrina, A. viridis j to AGARICUS— Ag. acris, Ag. piperatus, Ag. pyrogalus, Ag. stypticus, Ag. urens, and Ag. an- nularius: the eatable are Boletus edulis, Amanita aura?/tiaca, Mor- chella esculenta, Merulius cantharillus, Clavaria ecralloides, Agaricus esculntus, and A. tortilis. Symptoms. Different funguses produce different effects on the animal system. The more general symptoms, which usually occur from six to twenty hours after eating them, are pains of the stomach, nausea, vomiting, and purging ; colic ; cramp of the lower extremities ; con- vulsions, both general and partial ; an unquenchable thirst, vertigo, delirium, coma, and death. The intellect remains entire to the last moment of life. Morbid Appearances. Numerous black blotches on the skin over the whole surface of the body ; the abdomen much blown up ; the pupils contracted ; the stomach and intestines inflamed, gangrenous, and strongly contracted in many places ; the lungs inflamed, and gorged with black blood; the liver and spleen in the same state ; the mem- branes of the brain, also, present marks of inflammation : and sphace- lated spots are seen on almost every viscus. The blood is always found coagulated ; and, in every instance, there is a remarkable flexi- bility of the members. Test. There are no means of ascertaining that a person has been poisoned by these vegetables, unless some of the plants be found ; in which case their deleterious properties are known by their botanical characters. As a general rule, those which have an acrid juice, a
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