1116

ELEMENTS OF MATERIA MEDICA.

to

tuents of cherry-laurel leaves are amygdalin (probable, accordmj? ^Wohler and Liebig , though they failed to procure it), resin (Spa 11myricin (the shining appearance of the leaves is, perhaps, owing tochlorophylle or green colouring matter, extractive, tannic add, Mfibre, and water.

Volatile Oil of the Cherry-Laurel (Oleum Lauro-cerasi). —By distillation with ,' vacherry-laurel leaves yield a volatile oil and a distilled water (aqua lauro-cera.the oil, like the volatile oil of bitter almonds, contains both hydrocyanic acid a s]D1 ;lardruret of benzule, it is natural to suppose that the two oils are produced w^yyjjiilermanner. And though they did not succeed in procuring amygdalin, yet MjH- j ea yesand Liebig (Joum. de Pharm. xxiii. 411) think its presence in cherry-laurel ^highly probable : but what substance etfects its decomposition has not yet beentained. f r0 n»

Cherry-laurel oil is pale yellow, and heavier than water. It attracts °. x ^ .j r «cy-the air, and deposits benzoic acid. Oil of vitriol colours it red. It contains by y|, eanic acid, which may be detected by an alkali and a ferruginous salt (see p. 24 0I1 lyquantity, according to Schrader, is 7-66 per cent. ; but Goppert declares it to ^ e t2 75 per cent. (Christison, On Poisons, p. 722). It appears, therefore, to be » ^

poison than the oil of bitter almonds, with which, according to Robiquet (•>

Pharm. viii. 304), it agrees in all its chemical properties.

Physiological Effects. —Most parts of the plant, but more eS P ecially the leaves and seeds, possess poisonous properties. v s

(a). On Vegetables. —The distilled water of the cherry-laurel des •plants, like hydrocyanic acid. Goppert asserts, that its poisonousration does not depend on the small quantity of this acid which d j stains, but on some poisonous quality peculiar to it; for its actngreater than that of water containing the same quantity of hydrocyacid (Decandolle, Phys. Veg. 1358-9).

(b.) On Animals. —The effects of cherry-laurel water on animals r>been examined by a considerable number of observers (see 'V 1 .

Wirk. d. Arzndm. Bd. ii. S. 81). Of these it will be sufficient to ^tion the names of Madden {Phil. Trans, for 1731), Browne Lang, ^{Phys. Exp. upon Brutes, &c. 1746), Fontana {Treat, on the ^ ewrm % o 0 ,-Viper, &c. 1787), and Orfila {Toxicol. Gen.) It appears, says Dr- ^ 0 rtison, that whether cherry-laurel water is introduced into the stoina^^into the anus, or into the cellular tissue, or directly into a vein, i jysions giddiness, palsy, insensibility, convulsions, coma, and r^ a y gdeath ;—that the tetanic state brought on by the pure acid is not a ^ gtso distinctly caused by cherry-laurel water; and that tetanus ^ err y-ffequently induced by medium doses (Christison, op.cit. p. 723)- ^ylaurel oil acts on animals as a powerful poison in the dose °i ^eydrops; the symptoms which it excites being similar, if, .imice > j gbe not identical, with those induced by the volatile oil of bitter a

(seep. 1111). flavour^

(c.) On Man. —Liqueurs, sweetmeats, creams, and puddings, n p( jwith the cherry-laurel, have oftentimes acted injuriously, and even I J ^ se( jfatal. Where death occurred, the symptoms were similar to those ^ j n .by hydrocyanic acid; viz. painful sensation at the stomach, su j^yesensibility, and death within a few minutes. Convulsions, howtw jy anSinot been frequent. In the cases referred to by Dr. Madden (P ' il " ,_] aU relfor 1731), in which brandy, mixed with a fourth part of c j ierr ^ gutwater, proved fatal, there was no vomiting, purging, or convulsio .^yj-in the instances mentioned by Fodere (Orfila, Toxicol. Gen.), th e