Licence: In copyright
Credit: Chemical examination of Oenanthe crocata / by Frank Tutin. Source: Wellcome Collection.
Provider: This material has been provided by The Royal College of Surgeons of England. The original may be consulted at The Royal College of Surgeons of England.
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![Tlie umbelliferous plant, (Enanthe crocata, Linne, occurs commonly on the banlrs of streams and in wet ditches in England and Western Europe, and has frequently attracted attention on account of its poisonous properties. The roots- of this plant are in clusters, some of them being of a thick, tuberous nature, somewhat resembling the parsnip in appear- ance. Numerous cases of fatal poisoning have been recorded, both with human beings and with cattle, which have occurred through eating these roots. The above-mentioned species of (Enanthe has been described by Mr. E. M. Holmes {Pharm. Joum., 1902 [4], 14, 431) as the most dangerous and virulently poisonous of all our native plants, since it usually causes death more quickly than aconite, and the tuberous roots are specially liable to- be eaten, owing to their somewhat tempting appearance and not unpleasant taste. A tincture of the plant is stated to be used by homoeopathic practitioners in the treatment of certain forms of epilepsy, and the tubers have also been employed by herbalists for the cure of suppurating wounds. The only chemical work of note on the subject is by J. PoehJ (Arch. ex-p. Path. Pharm., 1895, 34, 258), who obtained from the tuberous roots an amorphous neutral pro- duct, soluble in ether, which he designated “ oenanthotoxin. Poehl assigned to “ oenanthotoxin ” the formula C,, O5 or C33 H,5 0|o, but since it is of an indefinite character, and * Communicated from the Wellcome Chemical Research Laboratories, London, E.C., and reprinted from The Pharmaceutical .Journal and Pharmaciel, August 26,1911.](https://iiif.wellcomecollection.org/image/b22433120_0005.jp2/full/800%2C/0/default.jpg)
