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The Royal Society: Science in the Making

Paper, 'Experiments and observations of the effects of several sorts of poisons on animals made at Montpellier in 1678 and 1679' by William Courten

Reference number: CLP/14ii/2

Date: 1710

Description

Courten describes in detail the physiological effects of a range of substances, including nightshade, hemlock, wolfsbane, scorpion venom, urine, and alcohol, on animals. The substances are administered orally and via injection. The majority of the subjects of the experiments are dogs, with a pigeon, rat, cat, tortoise, lizard and mole also being experimented upon.

Subject: Medicine / Toxicology

Published in Philosophical Transactions as ‘Experiments and observations of the effects of several sorts of poisons upon animals, &c. Made at Montpellier in the Years 1678 and 1679, by the late William Courten Esq; communicated by Dr. Hans Sloane, R. S. Secr. Translated from the Latin MS.’

Communicated by Hans Sloane
Read to the Royal Society on 22 March 1710

Reference number
CLP/14ii/2
Earliest possible date
1710
Physical description
Ink on paper
Page extent
10 pages
Format
Manuscript

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Citation

Paper, 'Experiments and observations of the effects of several sorts of poisons on animals made at Montpellier in 1678 and 1679' by William Courten, 1710, CLP/14ii/2, The Royal Society Archives, London, https://makingscience.royalsociety.org/items/clp_14ii_2/paper-experiments-and-observations-of-the-effects-of-several-sorts-of-poisons-on-animals-made-at-montpellier-in-1678-and-1679-by-william-courten, accessed on 11 October 2024

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    Dates: 1592-1741

    The 'Classified Papers' of the Royal Society are papers from British and international natural philosophers and scholars categorised according to subject areas.

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