VEGETABLE POISONS.

Samoa Times and South Sea Gazette, Issue 34, 25 May 1878, Page 2

VEGETABLE POISONS.

The following is extracted from tho Liunean Society's Journal—Botany, vol. xvi., on the nature and mode of use of tho vegetable poisons employed by the Samoan Islanderv, and written by tho Rev. Thomas Powell, F.L.S. : Tho death of that great and good man the late Commodoro Goodenough, from the poisoned arrows of the peopleof Santa, having invested those deadly weapons with so peculiar an interest, I am sure no apology will be required for my presenting to the Linnean Society at one of its meetings the following particulars upon the subject of poisoned spears and arrows. I have in the mission establishment here a native of Efat, (Sandwich Island) in the New Hebrides. He is the son of the late chief of the villago of Erakor, whose name was Talie, and who, under the influence of our Samoan evangelists, embraced Christianity in 1845. He then adopted tho name of Pomare. This son of his, who is about 35 years of age, obtained from him the following particulars upon the above subject.

POISONED SPEARS AND ARROWS. Tho Preparation of the Points.—This, together with the preparation of the poison, was a regular business, and practised only by the initiated. They were distinguished by constantly wearing the os fcmoris of a pig inserted between the arm and the armlet. When those men heard of any person suffering fi-om some very acuto disease indicated by cxcessivo delinum, they watched for his death and then noted the place of his burial. After the lapse of five or six months they would stealthily open his grave and carry thence the large bones of both extremities and the parietal bones of the skull. Of these they made the points of the spears and arrows. Of the femoral bones alone were made the points of the spears. Those were prepared by sawing off the upper part below the processes separating the outer condyle, and rubbing down the inner one to a lino point A wooden handle was then inserted into tho upper end and soourely fastened with the bark of a twining plant coated with some gummy substance which madeit imperishable.

Tho other bones were sawn into small pieces from an inch to two inches long, and then rubbed down on Btones to a very fine point On account of tho convexity of the parietal bones, the points made of them were often very short, in order to have them perfectly straight. The*', however, were considered the choicest.

For a saw they used the spinet; of the large Echinus. To make tiiese answer this purpose, two sharp edges were fonued on each by rubbing it on stones. Each spine, therefore, was equal to two saws. A goodly number of these were needed, as they soon became dull. The points, when finished, were inserted into a cane shaft made of a species probably of Joinvillea, and fastened in the same way as the spear-point*. They were ,then ready for the application of the poison. Preparation of the Poison.—ln this preparation a great number of poisonous plants were used—different plants by different persons. Three, however, were used in common. 1. The most virulent of all is called on Efat "Na Toto ', na is the article, toto the noun. This is a large tree, which my informant compares to a Calophyllum luophyllura. Inflorescence abundant, white. Fruit a drupe, about the size of an almond, dark red when ripe, attached to a long peduncle. Every part of the tree is a virulent poison. When cut, a white milk exudes from it, which causes blindness when brought into contact with the eyes. Its sap, when introduced into the circulation, causes death. Of both these effects my informant gave me a memorable illustration, of which his own mother was an eye-witness. She was a Samoan, and one of a party who, with a number of Tongans, wero drifted from Samoa in a double canoe to the Xew Hebrides about fifty years ago. They landed on the western end of Efat and acted the part of freebooters, Again emharking, they proceeded eastward, calling at several villages and acting in the same way, intending finally to make their way hack to Samoa. At a place called Male, near Eraker, the people, expecting a visit from these depredatoi-s, prepared for them in a way which they little suspected. They had, as is common in similar places, an enclosure of water on the beach which at low tide served for both drinking ami bathing. They pounded a quantity of the leaves of the toto previously dried in an oven ; and when they saw the canoe coming they threw their pounded leaves into the bathing-place. As soon as the canoe anchored, most of the crew, after native fashion, rushed to the fresh water to drink and to bathe. They were immediately thrown int.oconvulsive agonies: those who only bathed became blind ; and those who drank died. The survivors settled down in the neighbourhood; and, as above intimated, one of the women became the wife of Talili and mother of my informant, from whom he received this account. The original party numbered about fifty; in 1845, when the mission-ship first visited the island, only nine were lift.

But to resume. The tree grows near the sea-beach. It is very tenacious of life; for when cut down, shoots soon spring up from the roots. It is probably common in the New Hebrides ; my informant had noticed it growing on Aneiteutn. So closely does this description aoree in many respects with that given by the late Dr. Seemann, ' Flora Vitien3is,' p. 233, of the Sinu gaga of Fiji, Excceearia agallocha, Linn., that it seems highly probable that the tcto of Efat is identical with it, or is a closely allied species. 2. "Na suafa" is the name of the second of the plants referred to above. Being told that this plant is found in Samoa also, I sent a man for a specimen. It proved to bo the Pulu of Samoa, which Professor Oliver has identified as TabernaMnoutana orieutalis, R. Br. 3. "Na Sola." This is the Fanuamamala of Samoa, a species of Carumbium ; but since we have, according to Baron von Mueller, probably three of these, viz., C. pedicellatum, populifolium, and acuminatum, I cannot say with which the Efat 6pecies agrees. They are all, however, considered by the Samoans to possess poisonous qualities, yet to be useful in some diseases. The leaves of these threo plants were carefully picked, the stems and points were nipped off, and they were put into a shed to dry. When quite dry, they wore taken in equal parts and reduced to a fine powder in a woodeu mortar with a pestle mado of the ara wood, that is, the the toa of the eastern Polynesians (Casuarina equisetifolia). To this powder was added a portion, in quantity equal to that of each of the leaves, of very fine scrapings of an old piece of ara. The whole was then well rubbed together in the mortar.

The next ingredient was from tlie animal kingdom. A very long species of Uolothuria, called in Samoa the peva, being probably H. vittata, was brought from the lagoon ; the sea-water and the sand were emptied out, and it was exposed to the sun sufficiently long for all the water that remained in its substance to ovaporato. It was then put into a leaf of Calocosia Indica and placed in the .-Jiado till it became a putrid liquid. The bowl having been previously lined with a leaf of th'! Caloeasia in order to prevent adhesion to in sides, the powder was again put into it and the liquid added in quantity suflioicnt to fomi a thin paste, which was then woll Btirrcd with a stick or brush prepared for the pui-posu.

There was still one more ingrodiont considered necessary to render the poison sufficiently virulent. In tho woods,* in tlio neighbourhood of wasp-nests, wore accumulated on tho branches of trees small masses of what the natives considered the wasps' food. It had tho appearance of dried earth, and was probnbly merely accumulations of material for liuilding-purpoM-K. It was called N'a Let' lavti. which was the name also of

the wp, u.> in Samoa » (peace .>t white untaiui iijs nest are both calle<l ane. 'DiLs substance, " the food of the let," w«.s colleeted, and a quantity, equal to that of each of the other ingredients, rubbed to a very fine powder in a separate mortar kept for tho purpose. The os femoris, the badge of office already referred to, was used as a pestle.

This wasp-earth was considered by tho natives tho most active of the ingredients, since when convulsions and lockjaw ensued from the poison, they would say of the person so affected "Na puatia na let"—that in " he is seized by the layt."

This fine powder was added to tho mixture, stirred in ; aud tho whole was then exposed for a while to the sun in order to evaporate any remaining humidity. To this mixture some were in tho habit of adding the juices of various other poisonous plants ; but they were not considered absolutely necessary. The next step was to grate down the flesh of an old cocoanut and wrinc out the milky oily juice, which was added in proper proportion to the mixture. Tho mass was then stirred frequently for about a month, till it became a cloudv dark oil. It was then put into gourd bottles, which are suspended to the roof •of the house. In about twelvo months t became consolidated to the consistence 01 lard and was considered fit for use. From this account, then, we obtain tho following formula for the preparation of The Poison for Spears and Arrows. Take, in equal parts, of ( Exccecaria Agallocha, the leaves of-! Tabernosmontanaorientalis (.Caruinbium pedioellatuin '. The fine dust of an old piece of Casuarima oquisotifolia. Finely powdered dust of accumulations formed by a apecics of wasp.

To be well rubbed together. Add the putrid liquid of Holothuria vittata, sufficient to form a thin paste, and evaporate (ill humidity. Add the expressed juice of an old coeoanut; stir frequently for about a month till tli" mass becomes a dark cloudy oil ; bottle and preserve for twelve months. when it will be fit for use.

APPLICATION OF THK POISON To THt POINTS OF THK SPEAKS AND ARROWS.

When about to apply the poison to the points a kind of kiln was prepared for smoking them. One hole was made in the ground in a slanting direction, and another perpendicularly to serve as a chimney. In the slanting one was made a fire of the Casnarina wood. The spears and arrows already prepared were placed ready at hand. A bottle of the poison was taken down, and a small portion taken out on the point of a stick ; this was carefully rubbed on the bone point of the spear or arrow, which was then held over the smoke ascending from the chimney. Having been well smoked, it was carefully placed upon a rack over the common fireplace. A large number wero prepared in this way at one time. When well dried, the point of each arrow was carefully inserted into a dried flower-stalk of Tacca pinnatifida; and thus propared and protected, the arrows were tied in bundles and placed in a quiver formed of one of the cylindrical layors of the trunk of the Banana, and again hung up over the fire-place to keep them dry. They were thus ready for use or for sale whenever needed. It will be observed that from first to last great care was used to exclude humidity. The reason of this may be that humidity destroys tho virulence of the poison; and henco the comparative harinlessness of the poison of such arrows aB have boon obtained as specimens by gentlemen of war vessels and others.

Tho points of the spears were carefully preserved from injury in tho spathe of the Mountain Plantain (Musa troglodytarum, Linn.). EFFECTS OF THE POISON AND THE MEANS OF CUKE. The poison, when taken internally, was always fatal. Hence occasionally a woman when determined to get rid of a hated husband, would scrape off the poison from tho point of an arrow, put it in her husband's food, and thus surely effect her purpose. And however much she might feign grief, the symptoms of the sufferer would at once proclaim tho cause and the author of his agonies and death ; for men never resorted to such means of revenge. When introduced into the system on the points of spears or arrows, the effects were often diversified. In some instances the local pain would be very severe, followed by general disturbance of the system in two or three days, and ending in convulsions, look-jaw, and death. If the incisions were in such cases made at au early stage, the patient might recover. In other instances tho effects were more gradual and insidious, causin<* at first but little little local or constitutional disturbance, but gradually inducing fovor, convulsions, lock-jaw, and death. Tho tetanus was ono symptom of every fatal case.

There wcro men who professej a knowledge of antidotes to tho poison. When called to a patient, thoir first care was to guard against every thine which might startle him, as a very slight shock would induce convulsions and look-jaw, and ronder tho case hopeless. Tho nntidytos were kept a secret by the craft; hut Pomaro, who had of ton been wounded, assured his son that his conviction was that ho had boon saved, not by those antidotes, but by making frco incisions in different parts of his body, so as to til low the escape of the poisoned blood. Upolu, Samoa, Oct. 1, 187(5.