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Nelson Evening Mail, Volume XII, Issue 121, 24 May 1877, Page 4

Not long ago a Queensland settler took to London a dozen poisoned arrows from tbe South Sea Islands, and bad them analysed and thoroughly examined by Messrs Probyn and Co., of London. Some of the arrows were wood pointed, aod others pointed with pieces of bone. They found that the physiological action of the bone pointed arrows upon cats and rabbits was nil. The woodpointed ones also produced no effect, but a decoction from the string by which these latter were tied produced slight paralysis on the motor nerves wben injected into the veins of the rabbit. The application of chlorine restored sensibility. The microscopical examination of the wood-pointed arrows revealed nothing, but distinct traces ot j decayed muscular tißsue . and other snimal debris were revealed. Tbe chemical examination showed no reaction of any kind from the points of either kind of arrows; but in the string and joints of the wood ones there were distinct traces of some vegetable alkaloide, giving in a faint degree the reaction of strychnine or carav'me. The conclusion this firm of chemists came to was that (he bone pointed arrows had been originally poisoned with animal matter, but that the woodenpointed ones bad been steeped in some vegetable decoction, and, from the nature of tbe chemical reaction obtained, believe that the vegetable bad been a plant of the strychnos family, and most probably carava. It was ascertained that bromine and chlorine completely neutralised the action of curavide, add that caravine mixed with a solution of sodide of potassium and iodine had no effect when introduced into a wound, aud that when introduced alone a subsequent injection of the solution and bleeding near the wound iis effects neutralised.