Post by Miss Mitchell on Jan 23, 2008 16:03:08 GMT 5
Miss Mitchell rummaged in her bag for the Greenhouse key, and once she had unlocked the door and stumbled inside, she set about opening a variety of windows to let in the warmth of a beautiful september day. She put her bag on a shelf near the teacher's desk, and wrote on the board in a clear, slightly sloping, script:
Today we will be studying Aconite, its uses and dangers.
Aconitum (A-co-ní-tum), known as aconite, monkshood, or wolfsbane, is a genus of flowering plant belonging to the buttercup family (Ranunculaceae). There are over 250 species of Aconitum. It is an innocuous blue or yellow flowered plant with dark green leaves, found in shady spots in many suburban gardens all over the world - but the roots of several species harbour a deadly toxin.
The dark-coloured, tapering roots are occasionally mistaken for horseradish. A light touch of the juice causes a numb, tingling sensation - any more has a similar effect to cyanide, paralysing the breathing and stopping the heart.
The initial signs of poisoning are a few minutes after the introduction of a poisonous dose, referable to the alimentary canal. There is a sensation of burning, tingling, and numbness in the mouth, and of burning in the abdomen. Death usually supervenes before a numbing effect on the intestine can be observed. After about an hour, there is severe vomiting. Much weakness soon follows. The pulse and respiration steadily fail, death occurring from asphyxia. The only post-mortem signs are those of asphyxia. As in strychnine poisoning, the patient is conscious and clear-minded to the last. (Strychnine is a pesticide, particularly for killing small vertebrates such as rodents. Strychnine is one of the most bitter substances known. Its taste is detectable in concentrations as low as 1 part per million. People have been known to die from as little as 5 milligrams of strychnine.)
The treatment is to empty the stomach by tube or by a non-depressant emetic (drug to empty insides out. like fibre, but more immediate!!). The physiological antidotes are atropine and digitalis (foxglove) or strophanthin, which should be injected in maximal doses. Alcohol, strychnine, and warmth must also be employed. It must be noted that these "antidotes" are historical ones, as few toxicological centers today would recommend warmth, digitalis, or strychnine for any poisonings.
The above description of poisoning is characteristic of an oral administration. It should however be noted that aconitine may be easily absorbed through the skin, and poisoning may occur through this route simply by picking the leaves without the use of gloves; the toxin in the sap is absorbed through the skin. From practical experience, the sap oozing from eleven picked leaves will cause cardiac symptoms for a couple of hours. Tingling will start at the point of absorption, and extend up the arm to the shoulder, after which the heart will start to be affected. The tingling will be followed by numbness—it is fairly unpleasant. As remarked above, atropine is an antidote. Atropine is a constituent of Belladonna.
Miss Mitchell paused. Was that too much? All they had to do was read it. There wasn't much they could risk in the way of a practical.
She propped a sign reading DANGER on her desk, and carefully lifted a plant, Aconitum vulparia, off a shelf and placed it on her desk.
Wondering when her class would arrive, Miss Mitchell sat on the corner of a desk and swung her legs idly.
Today we will be studying Aconite, its uses and dangers.
Aconitum (A-co-ní-tum), known as aconite, monkshood, or wolfsbane, is a genus of flowering plant belonging to the buttercup family (Ranunculaceae). There are over 250 species of Aconitum. It is an innocuous blue or yellow flowered plant with dark green leaves, found in shady spots in many suburban gardens all over the world - but the roots of several species harbour a deadly toxin.
The dark-coloured, tapering roots are occasionally mistaken for horseradish. A light touch of the juice causes a numb, tingling sensation - any more has a similar effect to cyanide, paralysing the breathing and stopping the heart.
The initial signs of poisoning are a few minutes after the introduction of a poisonous dose, referable to the alimentary canal. There is a sensation of burning, tingling, and numbness in the mouth, and of burning in the abdomen. Death usually supervenes before a numbing effect on the intestine can be observed. After about an hour, there is severe vomiting. Much weakness soon follows. The pulse and respiration steadily fail, death occurring from asphyxia. The only post-mortem signs are those of asphyxia. As in strychnine poisoning, the patient is conscious and clear-minded to the last. (Strychnine is a pesticide, particularly for killing small vertebrates such as rodents. Strychnine is one of the most bitter substances known. Its taste is detectable in concentrations as low as 1 part per million. People have been known to die from as little as 5 milligrams of strychnine.)
The treatment is to empty the stomach by tube or by a non-depressant emetic (drug to empty insides out. like fibre, but more immediate!!). The physiological antidotes are atropine and digitalis (foxglove) or strophanthin, which should be injected in maximal doses. Alcohol, strychnine, and warmth must also be employed. It must be noted that these "antidotes" are historical ones, as few toxicological centers today would recommend warmth, digitalis, or strychnine for any poisonings.
The above description of poisoning is characteristic of an oral administration. It should however be noted that aconitine may be easily absorbed through the skin, and poisoning may occur through this route simply by picking the leaves without the use of gloves; the toxin in the sap is absorbed through the skin. From practical experience, the sap oozing from eleven picked leaves will cause cardiac symptoms for a couple of hours. Tingling will start at the point of absorption, and extend up the arm to the shoulder, after which the heart will start to be affected. The tingling will be followed by numbness—it is fairly unpleasant. As remarked above, atropine is an antidote. Atropine is a constituent of Belladonna.
Miss Mitchell paused. Was that too much? All they had to do was read it. There wasn't much they could risk in the way of a practical.
She propped a sign reading DANGER on her desk, and carefully lifted a plant, Aconitum vulparia, off a shelf and placed it on her desk.
Wondering when her class would arrive, Miss Mitchell sat on the corner of a desk and swung her legs idly.