J>art ii. Materia Medica. >— Datura Stramonium. 281

receptacle as a support to the fruit. The fruit is a large, fleshy,ovate-roundish, four-cornered capsule, beset with sharp awl-shaped spines; four-celled at the base, two-celled at the apex,and containing a great number of reniform compressed seeds.Both the leaves, capsule, and seeds, are medicinally used. 1

dualities. —The whole herb has a narcotic, foetid odour,producing head-ach; a bitterish nauseous taste, and gives tothe saliva a deep green tinge when chewed. According to We-denberg*, it contains gum (mucus?) and resin, a volatile matter,(which I find to be carbonate of ammonia), and a narcoticprinciple, which has lately been ascertained by M. Brandes to bean alkaline salt. He obtained it from the seeds, in which it iscombined with malic acid, and named it Daturium. It is nearlyinsoluble in water and in cold alcohol, but boiling alcohol dis-solves it, and on cooling lets it fall in flocculi. It is crystallizedwith difficulty, but has been obtained in quadrangular crystals.It forms neutral salts with the acids. 3 The medicinal virtuesof the herb are extracted both by water and alcohol. Thewatery infusion is transparent, with a very pale yellow hue,which is dissipated by acids, but very much deepened by thealkalies. It throws down whitish precipitates with acetate andsuperacetate of lead, and a black precipitate with nitrate ofsilver. Solution of sulphate of iron strikes a deep olive colour,and muriate of mercury renders it milky; but neither is pre-cipitated till after a very considerable time.

Medical properties and uses. — Thorn apple is narcotic andstimulant. Baron Stoerck first recommended it as an internalremedy, in cases of mania and epilepsy; but, as Cullen re-marks, he was less violent in his commendations of it than ofthe other narcotic plants which he introduced. 4 It was after-wards tried by other continental physicians with unequal suc-cess; particularly by Greding, who made the greatest numberof trials of it. But the most decided experiments in its favourhave been made by Dr. Barton, of America, who regards it asa remedy of great efficacy. He found, that when the dose of thedried herb was gradually increased to thirty grains, it dilatedthe pupil, and produced paralysis of the eyelids ; effects whichwere removed by a blister. Cataplasms of the bruiseli freshleaves have been successfulhy used as an application to inflam-matory tumours, and for discussing masses of indurated milkin the breasts of nurses: and an ointment made with the pow-dered leaves allavs the pain of haemorrhoids. Smoking the

1 According to Dr. W. Aihslie, this species of Datura is not found in India jbut the D.fustuosa, Dketoora (Hind.), Dustura [Sans*), is well known and medi-cinally used. Mat. Med. of Hindustan, 4to. p. 42.

- Hissertatio Medica de Slramonii C T su, &c. Upsal. 4to.

5 Jmtrn. de, Pky.viaus, xci. p. 144, 4 Materia Midica, ii. 281.