I solanum Nigrum. Garden Nightshade.
SOLANUM L in n & i Gen. PI. Pentandria monogynia .
Cor. rotata. Antherce fubcoalit®, apice poro gemino dehifcentes.
Bacca bilpcularis.
Raii Syn. Gen. 26. Herbal b acciferas.
SOLANUM nigrum cäule inermi herbaceo, foliis ovatis dentaio-angulatis, racemis diftichis
nutaritibus. • Linncei Syß. Vegetab, p. 187. Sp. PL p. 266. FI. Suecic. p. 71.
Haller hiß. v. ill p. 249. n. ßj6.. 1 ' ■
SOLANUM nigrum. Scopoli FI. Carniol. p. 258.
SOLANUM officinarum. Bauhin Pin. p. 166.
SOLANUM vulgare. Parkinfon 346.
SOLANUM hortenfe. Ger. cmac. 339. "fia» Syn. 254. Hudfon Fl. Angl. f . 78. Oder. Ban. 460.
|p|apta contufa tetrum odorem fpirat.
TX annua, ramofa, albida.
I The whole plant when bruifed fmells very difagreeably.
| RO OT IX rdinui«,cuuiua. ^ r u u i aannnnuuaall,, bbrraanncchheedd,, aanndd wwhhiittiilfhh.. 7 ’
IIS pedalis aut bipedalis, ramofiflimus, fuban- | STA LK from one foot to two feet high, very-much
I foliis decurrentibus, fcabriufculus,| branched, fomewhat angular from the leaves
I Inlifliic 51 (yfimrnlns n 1 n 1 niti infrsiflatiiQ 1 ninmn/. *Ln 1L i. *n r .- . „
gulofus ex 1UI1W uvi_um.uuuuo, Ii.aunuii.uiua, j
folidus, ad geniculos paululum. ineraffatus, |
obfeure viridis^ feu ex viridi purpureus pre- 4 fertim ad bafin et ad nodos. i-
I
running down the ftalk, roughifh, folid fomewhat
fwelled at the joints, o f a dirty’o-reen
or rather a purplifh green colour, particum
>- — B larly at bottom and at the joints.
| I alterni, cauli fimiles. _ v | BRANCHES alternate, like' the ftalk.
1 A alterna, Ionge petiolata,fubdecurrentia,ovato- | LEAVES alternate,ftandingon longfootftalks flightlv
T acuta, angulofo-dentata, hirfutie molli. | running down the ftalk, of an oval pointed
. | fhape, angularly indented, with a fofthairinels
IRES fubumbellati; Petiolus patens e x in te r- | FLOWERS growing in a kind of Umbell; F oot-
medio nodorum. | stalk of the flowers fpreading, and arifing
- • ’ ’ $ fr om .th e middle o f th e jo in t . °
MX: Perianthium quinquepartitum, foliolis f C A L YX : a Perianthium divided into five fegments
I ovatis, perfiftentibus, fruftibus maturis pau- | which are oval, continuing, and when the
_ lulum reflexis, fig. l. $ fruit is ripe, turning fomewhat back fig i
JLLA monopetala, fubrotata, alba, Iaciniis j CO ROL LA monopetalous, fomewhat wheel-ftfape*d
ovato acutis, f ig . 2. | o f a white colour, the fegments oval and
I <*' pointed, fig. 2.
!INA: Filamenta quinque breviftima, villofa, f STAMINA: five very fliort white hairy Filaments
i alba? fig- 4- A nther* oblong®, flav®, fub- | fig. 4. A n th e r s oblong, yellow, fomewhat
coal.it®, biloculares, loculis apice perforatis, j united, o f two cavities, each having a hole
r fig 5- a at the top, fig. 5. '.
gLLUM: Germen fubrotundum, viride, fig. 6. 4 PISTILLUM: G ermen roundifh, and green fig 6
Stylus fubukms, v.ridis parte inferiore | S t y le tapering, green, the lower part viL
l S ! B 7< bTIGMA fubrotundum, fig. 8. 4 lous; Stigma roundilh, fig. 8.
EARPIUM: Bacc.a rotunda, primum viridis | SEED-VESSEL : a round berry, firft green and af-
■ demum nigra, bilocularis, fig., 9. % terwards black, of two cavities, fig. n
JJA plunma, remformia, flavefeentia, f ig . to. J; SEEDS feveral, kidney-lhaped and yellowilh, fig. 10.
fteyear 1757, Mr G a ta ke r, Surgeon to the Weftminfter Hofpital, publifhed a treatife on the internal
milanum, or Nightfiiade ; from an apprehenfion that he had difeovered a medicine which under certain
Jions might with perfeft fafety be given ; and, as he imagined, with great benefit to mankind in manv
Is, where the medical pra6litioner could do little more than fympathize with his diftrefled patients 7
|was.indueed;to make fome experiments with the Nightjhades, from reading an account of a cancerous
I ? ,1 b d e fdly NlShtftlade i but not being able at that particular feafon of the year to
Nightlhade he was obliged to make ufe of the dried leaves of. the Solanum nigrlm, or
f t r a m S S nf ,ei,fiS|Urefd’-Wrhr n - f?Und t0 be ver>' E0™??“ 1 fn lts »P^ation ; evenfo finall a quantity
I S ff n u he Ieaf> “ fufed ln about an ounce ° f boiling water, would fometimes produce a verv
M « I . - ‘ b.ut two ° r three grains feldom failed, either to vomit, purge, or fweat the patient modet
„ r ' " Creafe nhe qtaotity of urine. It fometimes occafioned a head-ach, giddinefs, dimnefs add'
E S B moll common effeffs were a heat or warmth diEhiEd over the whole*bodya few hours after
I lirSt Cme’ a p 'ent,fui - fweat fteceeding this heat, and a gentle purging the next d a y : ,T a fwe«
* h v fn ’• an extraordlnaIy difeharge of urine was the confequence, which was fometimes followed
V r ! l p S>“g: one or more of the natural evacuations were almoll always increafed. After Dremifino-
B °f. tha a&ion of the medicine, he-proceeds to enumerate feveral cafes b w S t h i f
« ill-Sd n n 'ed ^ efficac10“ ? : tbe principal of thefe were, two cafes of a cancerous nature —
■ nthe W da ° f °rnS , * andlng 'he leg, attended with fever and inf lammat iona violent
Ihandfoot'-the | S r a rweIlln?’ , a? d faveral Pain.fnl fores o n ° ne leg 1-fcveral fcrophulons fores in
jQiroat ■ “ ' caLbnf 71 r d -W,Th fco' but,c eruPi'ons ; - a malignant corroding ulcer in the back part
l a „ ej ’ r„ 0 aalers .ol O'opfyj— in feveral cancerous cafes where it was made ufe of, very little advantage
foiid f t °u tbe ^ ° vecafes- 'he Garden Nightfllade was made ufe of, between which and tie
% i „ „ ’•? V :0 tb7 offeas, very little difference : he found the medicine to a3 differently on H
•» 'd in g t” di S blS f f - e to begin with half a grain of .he dried leaf in infufion, incrcafing ?he
jlemarks ib USk c 1 and r.ePeatlng 11 every fecond or third night. 0
jliheufe n f v " 6 ir “ “ 71!f r “ “ was formerly in ure for many difeafes; yet there were fome who
M o r s m.m ;“ 'erna7 and.We p fm gives an account of three children poifoned by it: neverthelefs
Tducing fuch I p ¥ f f o m fo?d\ But- furely> lf an infuhon of a few grains of this plant be capable
i"h eSfamPp10 nP effeSs on the human body, thofe authors mull have been miftaken. P
jot!It Hofnital,“me j “ me exPcnments were alfo made by Mr. B r o m f i e l d , Surgeon to St. George’s and
■ "ms to have’ u a V the ?nj. au'hor leems to have written prejudiced in favour o f the medicine, fo the
Shofe of tbe ' “ ls prejudices agamft i t ; for we find the experiments of the latter differing widely
® ere often M S S * ^cording to Mr. B r o m f i e l d , the fymptoms were not only not relieved, but new
•nation ulcer, on’ and th.e patients health rather injured than benefited. In the feveral cafes of
> t s of the held thl,s ™ed," n.e h,adb.een g'ye,n. « °ft™. occafioned pains in the fores, naufea,
j'sklrto’one nerfA„ § i!y ° fs °.f bSh'>.de]lr!um- ',lolent vomitings, gnpings, and purgings, and even
pin at a timP nder hls own '"fpeSion, though the dofe o f the Garden Nightjhade did not exceed
I'ffp ia a ice ':0™ ) Wen al1 n,eave °ur rre a d e r s determine with what propriety it is difregarded
| Perfon, can ’ a" d would juft remark, that from the apparently inconteftible proofs of its deleferio'us
J°E from dun^hln j t0° ,nlce In 'eleaing.their pot-herbs, particularly thofe who make a praflice of
is fome diftahr "!?' I fpe?,es °u 0rac/‘- ,by f°” e called Fat-Hm, by others Lambs-Ouarters,
jPgore and HpPp • llm.,lltude. betwixt the two plants, and their places of growth are the fame. "
J ginlulv n,n|F,:PtT .ab0V.e Slven> wiU enable any one to diftinguifh this plant. It is an annual
% . Gze asw|irfjPrpdu C!n^ .ltsrblarGk berries in autumn, which mol probably are alfo poifonous. It
i Joint is bot. 1:m the hairinefs of its leaves ; and the manner of the flowers growing from the middle
■u nnguiar and curious.