A drug derived from the
common garden plant 'monkshood' (Aconitum anglicum), though in some parts it is
called 'wolfsbane', 'leopard's bane', 'women's bane', and 'Devil's helmet'; in
Ireland it is known as 'blue rocket'.
The active constituent of aconite is an alkaloid called aconitine, contained in
greater or lesser strength in the plant's foliage or root. In medicine it
was formerly administered in the form of tincture of aconite or as a liniment -
usually for the relief of sciatica and rheumatism, where its heat-producing and
mildly anaesthetic properties gave comfort. Aconitine fell into disfavour
when it was found that even rubbing preparations on the skin produced symptoms
of poisoning as by ingestion.
Until well into this century it was the most virulent poison known, one-fiftieth
of a grain having proved fatal, while it is certain that one-tenth of a grain
will always result in death. It is a white powder without any definite
crystalline structure, hardly soluble in water, but dissolved by alcohol or weak
acids. Dilutions of one-thousandth of a grain can be distinguished by the
tingling sensation set up by the drug.
The symptoms of aconitine poisoning are these; in a few minutes to an hour from
the time of ingestion, the victim experiences a numbness and tingling sensation
in the mouth and throat, which become parched. If a large quantity is
administered, this tingling becomes a severe burning extending down the throat
and into the abdomen. The tingling rapidly extends to the hands and feet,
and soon the whole surface of the body is affected. The skin of the
extremities is cool and clammy to the touch, but at the same time the victim
complains that he feels as though his limbs have been flayed. There is a
loss of power in the legs, and sight and hearing are considerably dulled, though
usually the victim remains in full possession of his mental faculties until
death ensues. Occasionally, muscular twitching is followed by convulsions.
The pulse becomes weak and variable, the pupils of the eyes dilated, and the
least exertion may bring on a fatal syncope. Death usually results from
failure of the respiratory organs. Aconitine paralyses all the organs in
turn, and the fatal period can be from eight minutes to three or four hours.
The most notable case of aconitine poisoning in England is the case of Dr Henry Lamson, while in Scotland Dr Edward William Pritchard's use of aconite helped
earn him a place in that country's Black Calendar as well as on the scaffold.
The aconite poisons have been known throughout the world from the earliest
times, and the use of aconitine recorded by the ancient Greeks, who called it
the Queen of Poisons and believed that it was created from the saliva of the
mythical guardian dog of the underworld, Cerberus. So popular was it as a
means of familicide that Juvenal in his Satires wrote:
Murdering your stepson is the traditional thing to do, so wards with rich
expectations should learn to look after themselves. Don't trust any of the
dishes at dinner, those pies are black with the poison your dear mother has put
in... You think I' exaggerating? Listen to Pontia confessing all.
'Yes, I admit it, I gave aconite to my children. Everyone knew they were
poisoned and I did it.' 'What, you serpent, both at one meal?' 'Yes, and
if there had been seven of them, I'd have done the lot.'
Perhaps Drs Lamson and Pritchard were scholars of the classics.
