Medical Jurisprudence And Toxicology

720

MEDICAL JURISPRUDENCE

dilute alcohol. The second glycoside, when recrystallized twice from hot
water, was obtained in slender, shining, silky needles melting at 178°C.
Both these glycosides were thought to be highly poisonous, but Bhatia and
Lai30 have demonstrated from experiments that thevetoxin is less toxic than
thevetin and resembles in action the glycosides of digitalis.

Fig. 196,—Cerbera Thevetia.

Symptoms.—Burning pain in the mouth and dryness of the throat,
tingling and numbness of the tongue, vomiting and often diarrhoea, headache,
dizziness, dilated pupils, and fainting. The pulse is soft and slow, later
becomes rapid, weak and irregular. Collapse sets in, and death occurs from
heart failure. Tetanic convulsions are sometimes observed.

Fatal Dose.—Uncertain. One seed has killed a child, about 4 years old.
Eight to ten seeds would prove fatal to an adult.

Fatal Period.—Uncertain. A young man died in 2 to 3 hours after he
took his meal mixed with the powdered root.31

Treatment,—Same as in white oleander poisoning.

Post-mortem Appearances.—Not characteristic. In the case of a Hindu
male who died shortly after taking some yellow oleander the mucous coat
of the stomach was thrown into exaggerated folds, the general surface of
which was congested, and of a deep red colour; scattered about the folds
were some inflammatory spots of a lighter colour than the general surface,
somewhat glistening and stellate in appearance. Several irregular fmg~
ments like millet seeds were found scattered in the mucous folds of Ihe

30., Ind. Jour, of Med. Research, XXI, 3, Jan, 1934, p. 608.
31. S. Bannerjea, Ind. Med. Gaz., Jan. 1923, p. 22.