The botanic garden. A poem in two parts. Part I. Containing the Economy of vegetation. Part II. the Loves of the plants. With philosophical notes / [Erasmus Darwin].
- Erasmus Darwin
- Date:
- 1791
Licence: Public Domain Mark
Credit: The botanic garden. A poem in two parts. Part I. Containing the Economy of vegetation. Part II. the Loves of the plants. With philosophical notes / [Erasmus Darwin]. Source: Wellcome Collection.
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![[ -88 ] crying out to God and Mahomet for mercy. In fixteen minutes by my watch, which I held in my hand, all the criminals were no more. Some hours after their death, I ob- ferved their bodies full of livid fpots, much like thofe of the Petechia., their faces fwelled, their colour changed to a kind of blue, their eyes looked yellow, &c. &c. About a fortnight after this, I had an opportunity of feeing fuch another execution at Samarang. Seven Malayans were executed there with the fame inftrument, and In the fame manner; and I found the operation of the poifon, and the fpots in their bodies exactly the fame. Thefe circumftances made me defirous to try an experiment with fome animals, in order to be convinced of the real effefts of this poifon; and as I had then two young puppies, I thought them the fitted: objedfs for my purpofe. I accordingly procured with great difficulty fome grains of Upas. I diflblved half a grain of that gum in a fmafl quantity of arrack, and dipped a lancet into it. With this poifoned inftrument I made an incifion in the lower mufcular part of the belly in one of the puppies. Three minutes after it received the wound the animal began to cry out moft piteoufty, and ran as fall as poffible from one comer of the room to the other. So it continued during fix minutes, when all its ftrength being exhaufted, it fell upon the ground, was taken with convul- fions, and died in the eleventh minute. I repeated this experiment with two other pup- pies, with a cat and a fowl, and found the operation of the poifon in all of them the fame: none of thefe animals furvived above thirteen minutes. I thought it neceflary to try alfo the effedl of the poifon given inwardly, which I did in the following manner. I dilToIved a quarter of a grain of the gum in half an ounce of arrack, and made a dog of feven months old drink it. In feven minutes, a retching enfued, and I obferved, at the fame time, that the animal was delirious, as it ran up and down the room, fell on the ground, and tumbled about; then it rofe again, cried out very loud, and in about half an hour after was feized with convulfions, and died. I opened the body, and found the ftomach very much inflamed, as the inteftines were in fome parts, but not fo much as the ftomach. There was a fmall quantity of coagulated blood in the ftomach; but I could difcover no orifice from which it could have iflued; and therefore fuppofed it to have been fqueezed out of the lungs, by the animal’s ftraining while it was vomiting. From thefe experiments I have been convinced that the gum of the Upas is the moft dangerous and moft violent of all vegetable poifons ; and I am apt to believe that it greatly contributes to the unhealthinefs of that ifland. Nor is this the only evil attending it: hundreds of the natives of Java, as well as Europeans, .are yearly deftroyed and treacheroufly murdered by that poifon, either internally or externally. Every man of quality or faftiion has his dagger or other arms poifoned with it; and in times of war the Malayans poifon the fprings and other waters with it; by this treacherous practice the Dutch fuffered greatly during the laft war, as it occafioned the lofs of half their army. For this reafon, they have ever fince kept fifh in the fprings of which they drink the water; and fentinels are placed near them, who infpecft the waters every hour, to fee whether the fifti are alive. If they march with an army or body of troops into an enemy’s country, they always carry live fifh with them, which they throw into the](https://iiif.wellcomecollection.org/image/b28772970_0602.jp2/full/800%2C/0/default.jpg)
