A Letter from Edward Milward, M. D. to Martin Folkes, Esq; President of the Royal Society, concerning an Antidote to the Indian Poison in the West-Indies

II. A Letter from Edward Milward, M.D. to Martin Folkes, Esq; President of the Royal Society, concerning an Antidote to the Indian Poison in the West-Indies. SIR, Read Jan. 7. 1741-2. As the Royal Society, over which you so worthily preside, was instituted for the Advancement and Propagation of Natural Knowledge, and as I am convinced, that every the least Step towards such a Design cannot but be agreeable; I shall do myself the Pleasure of communicating to you, an extraordinary specific Antidote against the Indian or Negro Poison; which, I doubt not, will be the more acceptable, as this Poison hath hitherto been esteem'd the most destructive of any. The Knowledge of this Remedy was first purchas'd from a famous Negro Poisoner, at a great Expence, by one who styles himself, Isaiah Burgess, Doctor of Physic; and the Secret devolv'd to myself, by means of a Manuscript of the Doctor's, which, amongst others, I have procur'd, for my History of the Physical and Chirurgical Writers of this Kingdom. The Author intended this little Tract, which contains Observations on the most considerable Distempers in America, should be made public; he wrote it, at the Request of his Friends, about . . . . . . when an Expedition was design'd into America; and particularly declares, that he purpos'd pos'd the Divulgence of this specific Antidote, that such as should go to the West-Indies, amongst the Spaniards, might meet with a Remedy in case of Necessity. What prevented the Doctor from executing this his laudable Design, I know not; but as it was plainly his Intention it should be made public, and as the Knowledge of such a Remedy may be of the greatest Benefit to Mankind, I shall lay it before you, without any farther Preamble; that it may, by means of your Transactions, be communicated to the World, provided you shall judge it worthy of so distinguishing an Honour. "The Negroes, says he, use a Poison of a strange and extraordinary Nature. The Dose is very small, and it hath no ill Taste; so that, mixt with Meat or Drink, it is not perceivable. It causeth divers Symptoms, and the Effect is various, according as the Dose is large or small. It kills sometimes in very few Hours, sometimes in some Months, and at others in some Years. The Symptoms are according to the Quantity given: If great, it causeth Evacuations upwards and downwards; of Excrements first, then of Humours, and lastly of Blood, with Fainting-Fits, and Sweatings. Death follows in six or seven Hours. The Negroes turn white. "If the Dose is but small, the Sick looseth his Appetite, feels Pains in his Head, Arms and Limbs, a Weariness all over, Soreness in his Breast, and Difficulty of Breathing, (so that one appears as being in a Consumption) and at last dies languishing. "All Remedies yet publicly known, are of no Force nor Virtue against this Poison; and the Pat- tient certainly dies. Nay, I question whether the best Cordial Remedies can put the least Stop to the Efficacy of its Venom, or retard Death, and put it off, longer than the Intention of the cunning Poisoner had fixed it, in proportioning the Dose. I know that the Spaniards have Knowledge of this very Poison, and am satisfied, that I have seen several Bocaneers die of it, given them by Spanish Women. I am also persuaded, that it is the same Poison used in Spain and Italy. This Poison hath but one specific Antidote yet known; the Knowledge of which cost me very dear: And it was with much Difficulty I could persuade a famous Negro Poisoner to part with his Secret. The Antidote is, the Root of the Sensible Weed, as it is commonly called, or Herba Sensitiva. It grows like a Shrub, has no Prickles, blossoms yellow, and bears little Gods, full of small black pretty Seeds, of which the Women make Necklaces and Bracelets. Take none of the Root but what is in the Ground; wash it well, and split it in two. Take a good Handful of these Roots so split, and steep them in three Quarts of good clear Water in an earthen glazed Pot, having a Cover. Use but a moderate Fire, that it may boil but very gently. The Decoction has no ill Taste, and you may either give it so, or add Sugar, as you shall think best. Give to the Patient a good Glass of this Decoction, as warm as he can drink it; an Hour after give another, and so for some time, as you shall think it necessary to make a perfect perfect Cure. There is no Danger of giving too much; it can do no Harm at all. Several People have taken this Decoction, though they have not been poisoned, thinking it would do them good in other Distempers; so that one who any ways suspects he has had some of that Poison given him, may drink it very safely, and in what Quantity he pleases. The rest of the Plant is to be rejected as bad and noxious." The Doctor enforces his Observations by remarking, that he had been a Practitioner in those Parts for above Five-and-twenty Years. Many Negroes, he says, were wonderfully preserved and cured by taking of this Antidote, though, for Brevity's sake, he gives but one Instance; which is, "of a strong Negro Man, about thirty Years of Age, and in perfect Health, who being one Night at a Plantation four Miles distant from that where he lived, was invited to drink a Dram of Rum, by another Negro, who mixt Poison with it. The Fellow drank it up, perceiving nothing to be in it; but as he was taking Leave, on the other's bidding him Farewel, and telling him he should never see him again, he suspected he was poison'd; and putting his Finger in his Mouth, vomited up great part of the Poison, though there remain'd enough of it to cause continual Evacuations in him upwards and downwards; of Excrements first, then of Humours, and lastly of Blood. As he was coming home, he fainted away several times, and calling at length to some Neighbour's Negro Houses, was brought home extremely alter'd; turn'd white; and was, as it was thought, expiring. The Root Root was immediately sent for, and the Decoction made, and given him in great Quantity. He continued taking it for three or four Days, and on the Fifth went to work along with the rest of the Negroes. That the Sensible Plant is endow'd with the Property of resisting Poison, hath been, before this, taken Notice of. For the Honourable Sir Hans Sloane, the late worthy President of this Society, whose Writings will always remain an Honour to his Country, hath observ'd from Piso, that the Root of this Shrub is an Antidote against the Shrub itself, which is very poisonous, and kills by Degrees, making the unhappy Sufferers Cache'tical, Short-winded, and Melancholy, till they die *. This greatly corroborates what our Author has advanced; and it is observeable, that he likewise directs all Parts of the Plant, except that Part of the Root which is in the Ground, to be rejected, as bad and noxious: Though whether this be exactly the same Plant with what our Author mentions, I dare not determine; as Sir Hans Sloane inquires whether it be not the Æschynomene, seu Mimosa arborescens Americana, &c. flore albo; whereas Dr. Burgess expressly says, that it flowers yellow: though this may, possibly, be a Mistake in him. I am sensible it may be objected, that the Negro Poison is of various Kinds; and that therefore, though this Remedy may be so extraordinary a Specific in some Cases, it may be unavailable in others. That * Nat. Hist. of Jamaica, Vol. II. p. 57. the Negroes may have the Knowledge of different Sorts of Poison, I deny not; but it would appear, from the Universality of the Effects of this Medicine, as the Doctor affirms many have been wonderfully cured and preserved by it, and does not mention a single Instance of its Miscarriage, as though the Negroes in the West-Indies used but one Kind of Poison, or, if different, yet such as comes within the Power of this Remedy. Besides, as we cannot be assured, but by the Consequence, whether the Poison be of that Sort, as to be within the Reach of this Remedy, or not, I think there is all the Reason in the World it should be administer'd under any Suspicion of the Indian Poison: Especially, as the Doctor assures us of its great Innocence; and I believe every one will readily agree with me, that it is no small Recommendation of a Medicine, That let what will become of its good Effects, it can do no Harm. Dioscorides hath rightly observ'd in his Alexipharmics, that very different Poisons produce the same Effects upon Human Bodies; and that therefore they are, for the most part, curable by the same Remedies. For though the Kinds of Poisons are various, yet the Effects which arise from them are common, and but few†. And that Ornament of his Profession, the learned and beneficent Dr. Mead, who hath given us a more rational Account † Fere enim plurimorum Venenorum facultates in consimiles effectus Corpus tandem deducunt: quam ob causam plerisque communia conducunt Auxilia. Varia equidem sunt Venenorum genera: communes tamen, nec ita multi, qui ex iis oriuntur, affectus. of the Nature and Properties of Poisons, and taught us to reason with greater Certainty about such abstruse Points, than any that ever came before him, is of Opinion, that though there be a great Variety of internal Poisons, as well Mineral as Vegetable, yet they do all of them seem to agree in their primary Effects, and manner of Operation. Eff. III. And in another Place, That virulent Plants, although they may be distinguish'd even from one another by particular Virtues, do however kill by a like Operation and Force. From whence it seems reasonable to infer, that although Poisons may be various in themselves, yet it is not impossible they may be cured by the same Remedy; as they produce like Effects, and seem to kill by a like manner of Operation. And a very remarkable Instance of this we have in all corrosive Poisons, whether of the Mineral or Vegetable Kingdom, which, however different in themselves, produce their Effects universally by eroding the Coats of the Stomach, and the Prima Vie; and which are all curable in like manner, by sheathing and blunting their acrimonious Particles, by means of smooth, lubricating and oleaginous Medicines. But be this as it will, I think the Remedy deserves, at least, a fair and impartial Trial, as the Author has not indulged in any rhetorical Flourishes, or Theory, but seemingly confin'd himself to Truth, and plain matter of Fact. And, indeed, should it be found to succeed but One time in Twenty, in such deplorable Circumstances, it cannot but be a Discovery of the greatest Consequence; especially as we are sufficiently assur'd beforehand, that all Cordial and Alexi- Alexipharmic Medicines besides, can be of no Service at all. And this may serve as another Argument, why, under any Probability of a Person's being injur'd by the Indian or Negro Poison, this Remedy should be administer'd; even though we cannot positively be assur'd, whether it be by this very Poison or not: For in Cases where all other Remedies are likely, if not sure, to prove unavailable, we may as well advise this as any. I cannot affirm, I ever knew any Effects from this Remedy on my own Knowledge or Observation; having never resided in those Places where this Poison is frequent: But surely a Medicine which promises such great things for the Good of Mankind, deserves to have a fair and candid Examination; and should it prove to be as serviceable as the Author assures us it is, you cannot but receive the highest Satisfaction, in being instrumental in divulging the Knowledge of a Remedy, from whence the Public may receive such unspeakable Benefit. And it would be doing the highest Service to their Fellow-Creatures, if such as have a proper Opportunity in the West-Indies, would administer it, according to the Directions here given, and report an exact Account of its Success. One thing more I must beg leave to add, with regard to the Trial of this Medicine; that it would be necessary to observe, whether the same Root, dried, would be of equal, or any Efficacy: that if so, the Benefits of it may be extended to other Climates wherein this Herb does not naturally grow: Particularly as the Author is convinced, that the same sort of Poison is used both in Spain and Italy. I shall do myself the Honour, some other Opportunity, of laying before you the Conjectures of Authors concerning this Indian or Negro Poison, with the Remarks I have made thereon; and if the present Paper proves acceptable, shall communicate to you the Doctor's other Observations concerning the Bites of poisonous Snakes, poisonous Fish, Wounds, and the most remarkable Distempers in the West-Indies; which cannot but be of great Service to such as reside in those Parts; especially as he mentions chiefly such Medicines as are Natives of the Country he treats of, and which are therefore the more easy to be procur'd. I am, Sir, (with the greatest Esteem) Your, and the Society's, most Obedient, and very humble Servant, Edward Milward.