This plant is a native of England, growing in shady places, on a chalky
soil, and flowering in March and April. Like the former species of
hellebore, it is capable of producing fatal effects. A case is related
in the _London Chronicle_, 1768, no. 1760, of a child who died in
consequence of taking the root of this plant in the pulp of an apple.
ELATERIUM. _Wild_, or _squirting Cucumber_.
_Momordica Elaterium_ (Monæcia Monadelphia. _Nat. Ord._ Cucurbitaceæ.)
This plant is a perennial native of the south of Europe, flowering in
June and July; it is cultivated in England, but does not survive the
severity of our winters. The fruit (_poma_) has the appearance of a
small oval cucumber, of a greyish colour, and covered with prickles.
When fully ripe it quits the peduncal, and casts out the seed and juice,
with great force, and to a considerable distance, through the hole in
the base where the foot-stalk is inserted, whence the name of
_squirting_ cucumber. The author has instituted numerous experiments
upon this plant, the results of which will be found fully detailed,
under its history, in the fifth edition of his Pharmacologia.
The plant appears, from the testimony of _Dioscorides_, and other
writers, to have been employed by the ancient physicians with much
confidence and success as a cathartic; all the parts of the plant were
considered as purgative, although not in an equal degree; thus
_Geoffroy_, “_radicum vis cathartica major est quam foliorum, minor vero
quam fructuum_.” This question, however, has been very lately set at
rest, by the valuable experiments of _Dr. Clutterbuck_,[406] which prove
that the active principle of this plant resides more particularly in the
juice which is lodged in the centre of the fruit. The forensic
physician, however, will scarcely be liable to meet with a case of
poisoning by the fruit of this plant. It is from that preparation of the
juice, which is admitted into our Pharmacopœia, under the title of
_Extract of Elaterium_, that we may expect to meet with mischief.
This substance subsides spontaneously from the juice of the fruit; and
occurs in commerce in little thin cakes, or broken pieces, bearing the
impression of the muslin upon which it is dried; its colour is greenish,
its taste bitter, and somewhat acrid; and when tolerably pure it is
light, pulverulent, and inflammable. Notwithstanding its extreme
activity, it does not, according to our experiments,[407] contain more
than a tenth part of active matter, which is a vegetable proximate
principle, _sui generis_, and to which we have given the name of ELATIN.
By treating the Elaterium with alcohol, this principle may be obtained;
it imparts to the spirit a most brilliant, and beautiful grass green
colour—but see our experiments upon this subject. The action of
elaterium is that of a most violent drastic cathartic, especially
affecting the rectum. It destroys life by its local action, and
consequently finds a place in the third division of our classification.
COLOCYNTH. _Coloquintida_; _Bitter Apple_.
This is the fruit of the _Cucumis Colocynthis_ (Monœcia Monodelphia,
_Nat. Ord._ Cucurbitaceæ) an annual of Turkey and Nubia. It is of the
size of an orange, of a yellowish-white colour, devoid of smell, round,
dry, light, spongy, and smooth on the outside, when ripe; it is
trilocular, each cell containing many ovate, compressed, whitish seeds,
enveloped by a white spongy pulp. It is imported into this country,
after having been peeled, and dried in a stove. Its taste is extremely
bitter and acrimonious. It acts upon the human body as a powerfully
drastic purgative. _Fordyce_,[408] relates the case of a woman who was
subject to colics for the space of thirty years, in consequence of
having taken an infusion of this fruit in beer. _Tulpius_[409] has also
furnished us with an account of the tremendous effects produced by an
overdose of the same article; and _Orfila_ has shewn, with his usual
accuracy, that it acts not only locally upon the _primæ viæ_, but by
being absorbed, and carried into the circulation.
EUPHORBIUM. _Euphorbia Officinarum_ (Dodecandria Trigynia. _Nat. Ord._
Tricoccæ Lin. Euphorbiæ _Juss._)
This gum resin is imported from Barbary, in drops, or irregular tears;
its fracture is vitreous; it is inodorous, but yields a very acrid,
burning impression on the tongue. Its acrid constituent resides
exclusively in that portion which is soluble in alcohol. This poison has
been sometimes administered imprudently as a purgative when it has
produced vomiting, and bloody stools. _Lamotte_ speaks of a clyster
prepared with it, which proved fatal. It acts as a caustic upon the
textures with which it comes in contact, and thus destroys life by a
local action; indeed its nature is so acrid that when applied to the
hair, or to warts, it causes them to fall off. _Scopoli_ mentions the
case of a person who, having the eye-lids closed, allowed them to be
rubbed with the juice of this plant; in consequence of which
inflammation followed, and the sight was lost. In pulverizing the
gum-resin, the parmaceutist should take the precaution of previously
moistening it with vinegar, or the powder will rise, excoriate his face,
and excite violent inflammation of the eyes. There are many species[410]
of _Euphorbium_, or _spurge_, which are highly poisonous; and, being
indigenous, they have frequently proved the cause of mischief; during
the last summer the author was consulted on the occasion of a family of
children having been seized with a violent inflammation of the eyes, and
eruption on the face, when the phenomenon was very satisfactorily traced
to the action of the _Euphorbia peplus_, which was growing very
luxuriantly in the garden where the children had been playing.