Sed. i o.

the infidr was as clean as if fcraped,and waih'd from all the Slime ofthe Glands, and fome Rednefs hereand there, as in a beginning Inflam-mation : The Pylorus was contrac-ted ; the Blood-Veflels of theBrain were very full ; and he tookout a large Grume of concretedBlood from the upper partcf it, bycutting into the Sinus Lengitudina-lis, as is not uncommon in ApoplecticCarcaiès : but found no extravafàtedSerum in the Ventricles, nor amongany of the Membranes.

And thus from the Effects of anOver-Dole of an Opiate may weconceive how many under this Clafsare ib powerful in their NarcoticQualities, as to prove deadly in ve-ry fmall quantities, and are thereforenot fafely admitted into Practice.Some of them conflit of fuch hot,acrid and corrofive Parts, as by ra-rifying the juices of the Stomach,and wounding its nervous Mem-branes, are the Caufe of all thofeDiforders, which do immediatelyfollow. For upon the Senfe of aviolent Irritation and Pain, the Fluidof the Nerves is immediately inlarge Quantities determin'd to thePart afFeitcd ; and this, if the Sti-mulus is not over-great, will be on-ly to fuch a degree as is iufficient,by contracting the Fibres of theStomach, and Mufcles of the Abdo-men, to throw off the Caufe of thedifágrecable Senfation : but the un-eafy Twitching being too ftrong tobe born, the Mind by a kind ofSurprize, does with hafte and furyas it were command the Spiritsthither. Thus the Bulinefs is over-done, and the Anion of the Fibresbecomes lb violent, that the Orificesof the Stomach are quite clofnd; fothatinfteadof difcharging the noxi-ous Matter, the Torment is madegreater, and the whole OEconomy

Of Narcotics.

219

put into confuflon. The Inflanceof the Child in Wepfer, which in'fuch an Agony made water to theheight of five or fix toot, with afurprizing Strength and Violence, isa Demonitration of this forcibleContraction of the Muicle^. Noris it any wonder, if in theíé Cir-cumstances all Senfe be loft, Bloodgufh out at the Ears, Noitrils, &c.the Parts being all torn and brokeby the Violence of the Convulsions ;which tho they begin in the Mufclesof the Belly, muft at lait prevail inthe Members too, till the whole Fa-brick is fhock'd and overturn'd ; andíbme corrólive Salts perhaps gettinginto the Blood, and by the Rari-faftion of it diftending the Veflels,the membranous Coats of thembeing already over-ftretch'd, willthe more eaiily give way and letout their Fluid.

And befides the irritating falineParticles in the Compoiition offome of this kind, many of themabound with an extremely fetid andofFcnfive Sulphur ; which gives fucha difagreeable and uneafy Senfaticnto the Nerves, as iuffocates in amanner the Spirits, and deadenstheir Motions. But thofe who de-fire yet further Satisfaction con-cerning the Operations of thefeParts of the Materia Medica, mayturn to the learned Baccius de Ve-neris, and Dr. Mead's EJfays uponPoifons, from whence thus has beenprincipally tranferibed.Folia, HeTbs of,

485-. Cicuta, Hemlock. ThisPlant grows much like Parfley, andit is ib difficult to diftinguifh themwhen young, that in all probabilitythey have fometimes been gather'dand fold together. For there havebeen many Initances of Perfbns,and fometimes whole Families, be-ing fuddenly taken ill, fo as toocca-

fion

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