Curare

Curare or Woorari, the famous arrow poison of South America, is derived from the bark of the Strychnos toxifera. The commercial preparation is a brownish-black paste of variable composition, the most active ingredient being the alkaloid Cttrarine,

Curare acts on the periphery of the motor nerves, producing para- lysis of motion without any disturbance of sensation. When taken internally it causes violent symptoms, sudden vertigo associated with great weakness of the legs. Sooner or later this is followed by vomit- ing of bile. Some time ago I treated a man with cirrhotic liver.

Every morning, at ten or eleven o'clock, he had an attack of bilious vomiting, followed by a chill. The vomiting continued for three or four weeks, and nothing seemed to stop it. But as he had the dizzy feeling just mentioned, I finally gave him Curare 500th, and it stopped the vomiting very promptly. The man lived two or three months after that.

JUGLANDACE^. 207

Dr. Pitet, of Paris, recommends Curare for the dyspnoea of emphy- sema when the patient seems to be pretty far gone. He administers the drug in the 3d or 6th potency.

Closely allied to Nux vomica are certain remedies derived from the order —

JUGIyANDACE^S.

All the Juglandaceae seem to produce a condition of the blood in which that fluid becomes dark and pitch-like in color. They all cause haemorrhages.

Juglans regia, or the walnut, is useful for menses which come on too soon, and are composed of nothing but black coagula.

All the members of the order cause cutaneous eruptions. The most important here is Juglans cinerea, sometimes called Juglans cathartica.

Juglans cinerea is one of our best remedies in occipital headache. The pains are of a sharp, shooting character; when this symptom is present you may use the remedy in diseases of the brain or spinal cord.

Juglans ci?ierea also causes jaundice, just like Nux vomica, with stitching pains about the liver, and pain under the right scapula (Chelidonium and Bryonia); the patient wakes at three o'clock in the morning and cannot go to sleep; these symptoms are often associated with the occipital headache just described. The stools are bilious, or yellowish green, burning the anus, and associated with tenesmus.

In dropsy of the chest, Juglans cinerea is useful when there are red spots on the skin, looking very much like flea-bites.

LECTURE XIX.

ARACEiE.

Thk order of plants which we shall study to-day is the Aracece, or, more correctly speaking, the Aroidece. The plants in this group all contain in their juices an acrid principle in more or less quantity. The Diffenbachia , when taken into the mouth, produces a frightful stoma- cace; the mouth is covered with a yellowish-white membrane; ulcers form upon the lips, tongue and fauces. This drug was proved by one of the students of this College.

Since then it has been used in the treatment of violent forms of stomacace.

The members of this order which we shall consider are Arum biphyllum, Arum dracontium , Caladium seguinum, Pothos fcetida, Acorus (of which we know little or nothing), and Diffenbachia.

' Ailanthus, Ammonium causticum, Nit- ric acid. [ Arum triphyllum \ Muriatic acid, I^ycopodium. I Selenium. (^ Graphites.

Caladium

Aracese <

Dracontium Pothos fcetida Acorus v Diffenbachia

Balsam of Peru. Pix liquida. Guaiacum. I Eryodiction Californicum.