XVIII. On the Poisonous Properties of Hemlock, and its Alkaloid Conia

Robert Christison

doi:10.1017/S0080456800024674

XVIII. On the Poisonous Properties of Hemlock, and its Alkaloid Conia

Published online by Cambridge University Press: 17 January 2013

Robert Christison

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Robert Christison: Affiliation:
Professor of Materia Medica in theUniversity of Edinburgh.

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Few poisons are of greater interest, in a historical or scientific point of view, than Hemlock. It has been known ever since the most classic periods of antiquity, being generally believed to have been the ϰωνϵιον of Nicander and Theophrastus, and commonly thought to have been the poison with which state-criminals were despatched in ancient Athens. Since that period it has occupied a prominent place in all works on Toxicology; and it has been immemorially familiar as a deadly poison to the vulgar in every part of Europe, where there is scarcely a country or even a province which does not produce it in abundance. For nearly a century, too, since the writings of Baron Storck of Vienna in 1762, it has been constantly in the hands of the physician as a remedy, and has been currently employed at different times in the treatment of some of the most common, as well as in some of the most malignant, of all the maladies to which the human body is liable.

Type: Research Article
Information: Earth and Environmental Science Transactions of The Royal Society of Edinburgh , Volume 13 , Issue 2 , 1836 , pp. 383 - 417

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/S0080456800024674 [Opens in a new window]
Copyright: Copyright © Royal Society of Edinburgh 1836

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^{page 383 note *} Journal de Pharmacie, xiii. 266; or, Archiv des Apothekervereins in Nördlichen Deutschland, xx. 97.

^{page 384 note *} Magazin für Pharmacie, xxxv. 72 and 259.

^{page 387 note *} Magazin für Pharmacie, xxxvi. 161.

^{page 388 note *} Orfila, , Toxicologie générale, ii. 305Google Scholar.

^{page 390 note *} Animals experimented on by Geiger.

^{page 396 note *} Lately advanced by Messrs Morgan and Addison in regard to the action of poisons generally.

^{page 396 note †} Petri Andreæ Matthioli Commentarii in sex libros Dioscoridis, p. 736. Edit. Venetiis 1582.

^{page 396 note ‡} Wibmer, die Wirkung der Arzneimittel und Gifte. i. 172.

^{page 397 note *} Gmelin's Pflanzengifte 605. Corvisart's Journal de Médecine, xxix. 107. Philosophical Transactions, xliii. 18. Wibmer, ut supra, i. 171. My Treatise on Poisons,

^{page 397 note †} Toxicologie Générale, ii. 303.

^{page 397 note ‡} Horn's Archiv für Medizinische Erfahrung, 1824.

^{page 400 note *} “Μαςαθςαν, Anethum fæniculum; hodie ϰγςιομαλαθςον. Icon. English Botany, t. 1208.” Sibth. Flor. Græc. Prod. i. 204.

^{page 400 note †} Κωνειον ϰαυλον ἀνιηδι γοντωδη ὡς μαςαθςον, μεγαν [some read μελανα] φυλλα δε ναςθηϰι ἐμφεςη στενωτεςα δε ϰαι βαςυοσμα. ἐπ' ἀϰςων δε ἀποφυσεις ϰαι σϰιαδια. ἀνθος ὑπολευϰον. σπεςμα ἐμφεςες ἀνισω, λευϰωτεςον. ςιζα ϰοιλη ϰαι ȣ' βαθειϰ. Dioscorides, iv. 79. Edit. J. A. Saraceni, 1598, p. 276.

^{page 400 note ‡} Cicuta quoque venenum est * * * Caulis autem et viridis estur a plerisque et in patinis. Lævis hic et geniculatus, ut calami, nigricans, altior sæpe binis cubitis, in cacuminibus racemosus: folia coriandri teneriora, gravi odoratu: semen aneso crassius: radix concava, nullius usus. Plinii Historia Naturalis, xxv. 95.; p. 421 in Edit. Brotier, Paris 1779.

^{page 400 note §} Sibthorpe found the Ferula communis of Linnæus growing on Cyprus, where it is now called αναςθηϰα; and he conceives it to be the Ναςθηξ of Dioscorides. [Floræ Græcæ Prodromus, i. 190.] He refers for a representation of it to Dodonæus, Historia Stirpium, Antverpiæ 1676, p. 321. The rude drawing there given has certainly considerable resemblance to hemlock in the leaves; but equally resembles many other umbelliferous plants.

^{page 401 note *} In ruderatis prope Byzantium. In Pelopponeso haud infrequens. Copiosissime inter Athenas et Megaram.—Sibthorpe Flora Græca, i. 187.

^{page 401 note †} Ce qui prouve que c'était la ciguë dont les Athéniens se servaient pour faire périr certains personnages, et dont Socrate mourut. Il ne peut pas y avoir le moindre doute à ce sujet, car la ciguë vireuse ne se trouve pas dans ce pays, non plus que, &c. Mérat et Delens. Dict, de Matière Méd. ii. 385.

^{page 402 note *} Και τε σν ϰωνειȣ βλαβοεν τεϰμαιςεο πωμα.

Κεινο ποτον δη γας τε ϰαςηατι φοινον ἰαπτει,

Νυϰτα φεςον σϰοτοεσσαν. ἐδινησεν δε ϰαι ὀσσε.

Ἰχνεσι δε σφαλεςοι τε ϰαι ἐμπαιοντες ἀγυιας,

Χεςσιν ἐεςπυζȣσι ' ϰαϰος δ'ὑο νειατα πνιγμος

Ἰσθμια ϰαι φαςυγγος στεινην ἐμφςασσεται ὀιμον.

Ἀχςα δε τοι ψυχϵι. πεςι δε φλεβες ἐνδοθι γυιων

Ῥωμαλεαι στελλονται. ὁ δ'Ϟεςα παυςον ἀτιζει,

Ὁια χαταβολεων. ψυχη δ ἀιδωνεα λευσσϵι.

Νιϰανδςȣ Αλεξιφαςμαϰα. Editio Parisiis 1587, p. 140.

Tu quoque signa malæ jam contemplere cicutæ.

Hæc primum tentat caput, et caligine densa

Involvit mentes; oculi vertuntur in orbem;

Genua labant. Quod si cupit ocyus ire, caducum

Sustentant palmæ corpus; faucesque premuntur

Obsessæ, et colli tenuis præcluditur isthmus.

Extremi frigent artus, latet abditus imis

In venis pulsus, nihil inspiratur ab ore.

Fata instant, Ditemque miser jamjam aspicit atrum.

[Interprete J. Gorræo.]

^{page 404 note *} Και ἐπει γε ἀποθνησϰειν ἀναγϰαζομενος το ϰωνειον ἐπιε, το λειπομενον ἐφασαν ἀποϰοτταβισαντα ἐιπειν αὐτον. Κςιτια τȣτʾεστω τω ϰαλω. Xenophontis Hist. Græc. ii. 3. 24. Tom. iii. 103. Edit. Dodwell, 1770 Oxon.

^{page 404 note †} Πολεμαςχω δε παςηγγειλαν οι τςιαϰοντα το ἐπ΄ ἐϰεινων ἐιθισμενον παςαγγελμα, πινειν ϰωνειον. Lysias. Orat. in Eratosthenen. In Orat. Græc. vol. v. p. 394. Editio Reiske. Lipsiæ 1772.

^{page 404 note ‡} Cicuta quoque venenum est publicâ Atheniensium pœnâ invisa, ad multa tamen usus haud omittendi. Plinii Hist. Nat. xxv. 95.

^{page 404 note §} Σωϰςϰτης δε δεθεις, μετ 'ȣ πολλας ἡμεςας ἐπιε το ϰωνειον, πολλϰ ϰαλα ϰ' ἀγαθα διαλ χθεις, ἀ πλατων εν τω Φαιδωνι φησιν. Diogenes Laertius. Editio Meibomii. Amstelod. I. ii. 42. Vol. i. 105.

^{page 405 note *} Θςασυας δε ὁ Μαντινευς ἑυςηϰεναι τι τοιȣτον ὡσπες ἐλεγεν. ὡστς ʻςαδιαν ποιειν ϰαι ἀπονον την ἀπολυσιν, τοις ὁποις χςωμενος ϰωνειȣ ϰαι μηϰωνος, ϰαι ἑτεςων τοιȣτων ὡς τε ἐυογϰον ἐιναι πανυ ϰαι μιϰςον ὁσον ἐις δςαχμης ὁλϰην. ἀβοηθητον δε παντη ϰαι δυναμενον διαμενειν ὁποτονȣν χςονον, ϰαι ȣδεν ἀλλοιȣμενον Theophrastus, Lib. ix. I. xviii. Editio Amstelodami 1644.

^{page 406 note *} Ό δε πεζιελθων, ἐπειδη οί βαζυνεσθαι ἐφη τα σχελη, χατεχλιθη ὑπτιος΄ δτω γαζ ἐχελενσεν ὁ ἀνθζωπος. χαι ἁμα ἐφαπτομενος αὐτου οὑτος ὁ δους το φαζμαχον, διαλιπων Χζονον ἐπεσχοπει τους ποδας χαι τα σχελη. χἀπειτα σφοδζα πιεσας αὐτου τον ποδα ἠζετο εἰ αἰσθανοιτο· ὁ δ— οὐχ ἐφη. χαι μετα τουτο αὐθις τας χνημας· χαι ἐπανιων οὑτως ἡμιν ἐπεδειχνυτο ὁτι Ψυχοιτο τε χαι πηγνυτο. χαι αὐτος ἡπτετο, χαι είπεν ότι ἐπειδαν πζος τη χαζδια γενηται αὐτω, τοτε οίχήσεται. ἠδη οὐν σχεδον τι αυτου ἠν τα πεζι το ἠτζον Ψυχομενα, χαι ἐχχαλυΨαμενος, ἐνεχεχαλυπτο γαζ, εἰπεν, ὁ δη τελευταιον εφθεγξατο, Ώ Κζιτων, ἐφη, τω Άσχληπιω ὀφειλομεν ἀλεχτζυονα. ἀλλȔ ἀποδοτε χαι μη ἀμελησητε. Αλλα ταυτα, ἐφη, ἐσται, ὁ Κζιτων· ἀλλ· ὁζα εἰ τι ἀλλο λεγεις. Ταυτα ἐζομενου αὐτου οὐδεν ἐτι ἐτι ἀπεχζινατο, ἀλλε ὀλιγον Χζονον διαλιπων ἐχινηθη τε χαι ὁ ὐνθζωπος ἐξεχαλυΨεν ὺυτον, χαι ὁς τα ὀμματα ἐστησεν· ἰδων δε ὁ Κζιτων ξυνελαβε το στομα τε χαι τους ὀφθαλμους. Platonis Dialogi. Ex Recensione I. Bekkeri. Berol. 1817, vol. iii. par. 2, p. 127. Phædo.

^{page 407 note *} Plato makes Phædo inform Echecrates in the Dialogue, that he was absent owing to sickness. “Πλατων δε, ὀιμαι, ἠσθενει.” (Platonis Dialogi. &c. p. 6.)

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XVIII. On the Poisonous Properties of Hemlock, and its Alkaloid Conia

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