Note 341 — PHARMACOLOGIA.

The more familiar of these are Bitter Almonds, the Cherry Laurel (Lauro Cerasus,) the leaves of the Peach tree, the kernels of fruit, pips of apples, &c. The prussic acid would appear to be most abundant in the thin pellicle that envelopes the kernel; the fleshy parts of these fruits do not contain it, and even the berries of the Lauro Cerasus may be eaten with impunity; and yet the distilled water, and oil of this plant are the most destructive of all narcotic poisons, as was evinced by the murder of Sir Theodosius Broughton, by Laurel Water; and by the untimely fate of Dr. Price, of Guildford, in the year 1782, who professing to convert Mercury into Gold, offered to repeat his experiments before an adequate tribunal, but put a period to his existence before the appointed day, by a draught of Laurel Water. Consistent with theory, the watery extract of Laurel is harmless, a fact easily explained, since the narcotic acid is entirely volatilized before the fluid can assume the consistence of an extract. The Laurel Water as a medicinal agent appears to have been long known. Linnæus, informs us that it was frequently used in Holland, in pulmonary consumption. (Amænitat. Academ. vol. iv. p. 40.) The Bark of the Prunus Padus, or Bird Cherry Tree, was ascertained to contain Prussic acid, by M. Bergemann, in 1811, and it is certainly a curious fact, as Dr. Granville has observed, that superstitious people should have selected the berries of this shrub to form necklaces, which are hung round the neck of children to prevent fits and allay cough from teething. For farther information upon this subject, the reader may consult “The Chronological recapitulation respecting the Introduction of the Prussic acid into the Practice of Physic,” in the work of Dr. Granville, above cited.