(seq. 369)

362

Materia Medica

Stimulants

where it is bruised, the smell is like that of a mouse, it is poisonous
among some of the quadrupeds, as the rabbit &c, but the goat eats it
with impunity, the medicine was employ’d in Greece to kill those
criminals that were condemned to die, the Immortal Socrates
perished by it. Cullen calls the hemlock a sedative, Darwin places
it among the incitantia, I have no doubt that it deserves a place
among the incitantia though it is weaker than opium, belladonna.
It produces delirium, stupor, loss of appetite, madness, and a large flow
of urine upon dessection of those animals that die of it, it inflames
their bowels it has produced a salvation. Baron Stark has published
a paper in which he used it in doses from grs ij [2 grains] up to Ʒi [1 dram] in cancer with
the effect of curing the disease. Bergius and the other Physicians say
that it is injurious except in scrophulous cancer, where it is verry
usefull. Dr Adams says it is an important medicine especially
in cases where there is high irritation, he acknowledges that it is an
uncertain one. Of late it has often been employed in England in the
form of a bath, the following is the method of preparing it Rx Hemlock
seed lbfs [½ pound], leaves lbi [1 pound] water galls viij [8 gallons]. tie up the seed and leaves in a
bag and boil them in the water in a copper vessel untill it is reduced
to 6 galls. [gallons] then add a sufficient quantity of cold water and immerse