A monograph upon aconite : its therapeutic and physiological effects together with its uses, and accurate statements derived from the various sources of medical literature / translated from the German of Dr. Reil, by Henry B. Millard ; prize essay.

  • Reil, Dr. (Wilhelm), 1820-1880.
Date:
1860
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Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: A monograph upon aconite : its therapeutic and physiological effects together with its uses, and accurate statements derived from the various sources of medical literature / translated from the German of Dr. Reil, by Henry B. Millard ; prize essay. Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material has been provided by the National Library of Medicine (U.S.), through the Medical Heritage Library. The original may be consulted at the National Library of Medicine (U.S.)

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    movere potest crura ipsius, et est malum, et qui evadunt ex eo raro evadunt quin cadant in hecticam aut phthisin, et quantopere facit epilepsiam odor ejus. Et ejus succo imbibuntur sagittae et interfi- ciunt, quern inveniunt, statim. Napellus is among the worst. And it happens, to one having drunk it, that his lips and tongue become swollen, his eyes protrude, frequent vertigo and syncope come upon him, and he is neither able to exercise or move his legs, and his condition is pitiable, and those who escape from this seldom escape from falling into a hectic or phthisis, and sometimes the odor produces epilepsy. Arrows are dipped in its juice, and kill, with great speed, whomsoever they come in contact with. As antidotes, Avicenna mentions emetics, with Mustard and Eruca, a decoction of Acorn shells in wine, (Tannic-acid, which is certainly the best antidote to such plants,^ Theriak, and the mouse which lives on its root. In chapter twenty-three of the same treatise, Avicenna gives the symptoms of poisoning of two other species of Aconite: Accidunt ei qui sumit ex eis ambobus: ponticitas in palato et uva et meri et canna pulmonis, et siccitas cum apostemate : et eleva- tur ex ore ejus vapor fumosus et pervenit res ad gravitatem linguae ejus et tremorem temporum ipsius: deinde ad tremorem et spasmum et obfuscationem coloris et praafocationem: et fit illud cum ruo-itu in ventre et ventositate plurima : et accidunt bibenti scotomata et tenebrositas oculi, quoties vult ire aut moveri, cum humore in oculis; et gravatur pectus ejus. The person, who partook of both kinds, was affected with swelling in the palate, uvula, gullet, and trachea, and dryness accompanied by swelling; a smoky vapor rose from his mouth, and heaviness of the tongue and a tremor of the temples set in, and afterwards, tre- mors, spasms, obscuration of color, and suffocation. This took place with a rumbling in the belly, and with a great deal of flatulence, and the person drinking the poison experienced, as often as he wished to go or move, dizziness and cloudiness of vision, with humor in the eyes, and his breast was heavily oppressed. There is certainly a striking resemblance between this symp- tomatology and the action of Aconite, which has been so long familiar to us. He recommends, as antidotes, emetics and injections, Origanum, Ruta, Absynthe wine, in which Iron has been dissolved, deer's blood, anointing, &c. The story told according to Rufus, by Avicenna, (Lib. IV., Fen. VI., Tr. I.,) of a maiden, who fed herself upon Napellus, in order to destroy