Researches on the nature and action of Indian and African arrow-poison / by Hermann Beigel.

  • Beigel, Hermann, 1830-1879.
Date:
1868
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Researches on the nature and action of Indian and African arrow-poison / by Hermann Beigel. 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.

    12/38 (page 336)
    ring the reader in respect to its chemical composition to the analysis made by Boussignault in 1828\ In concentrated solutions of Urari in water or alcohol a sedi- ment settles, which at first sight under the microscope appears an amorphous mass. But if the layer be sufficiently thin for examination, and a drop of sulphuric acid allowed to flow under the covering-glass, the object becomes more transparent and may readily be recognised as consisting of nothing but remnants of plants, different parts of which are easily to be perceived, as seen in fig. II. A. Whether the broken-down cells are parts of one plant or of more is irrelevant for our purpose, suffice it to say that no traces of animal matter, neither of ants nor of snakes, are to be found, which would undoubtedly be the case if such were used in the preparation of the poison. The genuine Urari, for which I am indebted to Dr Sibson and Rev. J. G. Wood, is different from that in the market; the remnants of plants being much more numerous in the former than in the latter. The same may be said of the number of the needle-shaped crystals, probably Urarin. Yet whatever the differences in the microscopic appearances of various speci- mens of Urari may be, all contain a considerable number of the cells A. in fig. 11*-. so that they seem to be essential. The draw- ing is taken from a specimen of Waterton's Urari, the larger crystals I. ii. having been found in some Urari which I have received a few days ago from Messrs. Bruckner and Lampe at Leipzig, who, according to their letter, are supplied by an agent at Rio Negro. The physiological results of my experiments may best be seen by some of the cases which I have treated by means of hypodermic injection of the Urari-poison. Case I.—George Gd., sailor, 25 years of age, unmarried, whose history is in a forensic point of view of great interest. He is the son of healthy parents, has two sisters and six brothers, one of whom, 29 set., has been subject to fits from childhood, at last became imbecile, and is now an inmate of Colney Hatch. Nine or ten months ago, when patient was at Malta on ^ Annal. de Chimie et de Physic. Vol. xxxix. (1828), p. 24—37.