Belladonna Hyoscyamus And Stramonium
=Belladonna.=--The root, leaves, and berries, of the Atropa belladonna
are poisonous from the presence of alkaloid atropine.
Symptoms.--Dryness of mouth and throat, intense thirst, dysphagia and
dysphonia, quick pulse, noisy delirium and stupor. Strangury and
hæmaturia, and redness of the skin, especially of the face, like that
of scarlatina, have been noticed. Dilatation of the pupil occurs,
whether the
poison be taken internally or applied locally to the eye.
Post-Mortem Appearances.--Congestion of cerebral vessels, dilated
pupils, red patches in alimentary canal.
Treatment.--Wash out the stomach freely; a hypodermic injection of
apomorphine as an emetic, followed by hypodermic injections of
pilocarpine or morphine. Tea, coffee, or tannin, to precipitate the
alkaloid.
Tests.--Atropine may be recognized by its action on the pupil. The
chloro-iodide of potassium and mercury precipitates it from very dilute
solutions.
=Hyoscyamus= (Henbane).--Hyoscyamus niger.
=Stramonium= (Thorn-Apple).--Datura stramonium.
Symptoms.--Identical with those of belladonna and hyoscyamus, the
post-mortem appearances and treatment being also the same.
=Cannabis Indica= (Indian Hemp).--When smoked, produces intoxication and
mania. Hashish, used in the East as a narcotic, may cause persons to
run 'amok' and commit murder.