Historical notes on poisoning.

  • Ferrier, David, 1843-1928.
Date:
[cbetween 1800 and 1899?]
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Historical notes on poisoning. Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material has been provided by The University of Glasgow Library. The original may be consulted at The University of Glasgow Library.

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    with to anoint his arrows. * The story of Hercules dipping his arrows in the venom of the Lerncean hydra, their deadly effects, and the dread- ful accidents which befel Chiron and Philoctetes, are familiar to you all. This story is an indication of the nature of the poison employed ; and we have it on the authority of numerous writers, that snake-poison^ was frequently used for this purpose. Such was the custom of the ancient Scythians, who likewise mixed the venom with human blood, of itself regarded as a virulent poison, in order to intensity the effects. Even at that early period, they had discovered the fact, though its ex- planation by the physiological relation between absorption and excre- tion is only of recent date, that, when taken naturally, the poison was innocuous, and was only fatal when directly introduced into the blood by means of a wound. Pliny makes a curious observation in reference to this practice. He looks upon it as a mark of the depravity of man- kind ; for what other animal (he asks) but man poisons his weapons? yElian, however, is of opinion that man in this respect has only fol- lowed the bad example of the wasps; for, says he, the wasps, when they see a dead snake, alight on it, and dip their stings in its venom—a curious fact in natural history ! OTaif {afTiicis) 6ed<rci>VTat venphv ex'^'*''. c'S' ifJ-Triirrovcn kqu (papnar- ruvai TO KivTpov, Sdev /xui SoKovcri fiaOe'iv koI oi &i>BpuiTOi jitaflTjjUo, hal tovto ovK oyaBdv. ^lian., Hist. Anim., v, i6. Another very ancient use of poisons was for the purpose of the ordeal —a method of judicial investigation which also obtains among many tribes at the present day. With this custom we generally associate the physostigma or ordeal bean of Old Calabar. It is supposed that it was a poison of some kind which constituted the maar, or bitter water, of which we read in the book of Numbers, and which was used as a judi- cial test of the honour of wives accused of infidelity by jealous hus- bands. Harmless to one who was innocent, the effects in the case of a guilty woman were dire enough, causing the belly to swell, and the thigh to rot. It is very doubtful whether this were really a poison. It is more likely that the dreadful invocations of the imposing preliminary ceremony were sufficient to deter any but an innocent woman from draining the contents of the cup. One of the most curious chapters in the literature of poisoning is that which relates to the use of poisonous substances in the preparation * i6.pixaKov a.vZpo<p6vov Si^riixtvos, ucppa, oi t'tr) 'lovs xpitaO'' x^')/^*^'—Odyss,, i, 261.