Chapter DARCHEENEE to DATURA of D by The Hobson Jobson Dictionary

which beareth a seede, whereof bruising out the sap, they put it into a cup, or other vessell, and give it to their husbands, eyther in meate or drinke, and presently therewith the Man is as though hee were half out of his wits.”—Linschoten, 60; [Hak. Soc. i. 209].

1608–10.—“Mais ainsi de mesme les femmes quand elles sçauent que leurs maris en entretiennent quelqu’autre, elles s’en desfont par poison ou autrement, et se seruent fort à cela de la semence de Datura, qui est d’vne estrange vertu. Ce Datura ou Duroa, espece de Stramonium, est vne plante grande et haute qui porte des fleurs blanches en Campane, comme le Cisampelo, mais plus grande.”—Mocquet, Voyages, 312.

[1610.—“In other parts of the Indies it is called Dutroa.”—Pyrard de Laval, Hak. Soc. ii. 114.

[1621.—“Garcias ab Horto…makes mention of an hearb called Datura, which, if it be eaten, for 24 hours following, takes away all sense of grief, makes them incline to laughter and mirth.”—Burton, Anatomy of Mel., Pt. 2, Sec. 5 Mem. I. Subs. 5.]

1673.—“Dutry, the deadliest sort of Solarium (Solanum) or Nightshade.”—Fryer, 32.

1676.—

“Make lechers and their punks with dewtry
Commit fantastical advowtry.”

Hudibras, Pt. iii. Canto 1.

1690.—“And many of them (the Moors) take the liberty of mixing Dutra and Water together to drink…which will intoxicate almost to Madness.”—Ovington, 235.

1810.—“The datura that grows in every part of India.”—Williamson, V. M. ii. 135.

1874.—“Datura. This plant, a native of the East Indies, and of Abyssinia, more than a century ago had spread as a naturalized plant through every country in Europe except Sweden, Lapland, and Norway, through the aid of gipsy quacks, who used the seed as anti-spasmodics, or for more questionable purposes.”—R. Brown in Geog. Magazine, i. 371. Note.—The statements derived from Hanbury and Flückiger in the beginning of this article disagree with this view, both as to the origin of the European Datura and the identity of the Indian plant. The doubts about the birthplace of the various species of the genus remain in fact undetermined. [See the discussion in Watt, Econ. Dict. iii. 29 seqq.]

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