CURANA (kiTT-riVnii) WOOD. See Pim CURARI, 1:7-rliW (South American), Cut RARE, OURARI. URARI, WOORALE or WooltARA. A celebrated poison used by some tribes of South American Indians for poisoning their arrows. It is by means of this poison that the small ar rows shot from the blow-pipe beconuti so deadly. The nature and source of this poison remained long unknown, the Indians being very unwilling to reveal the secret, seems, however, to have been at last obtained from them by Sir Robert Schomburgk, and it is now regarded as pretty certain that the principal ingredient is the juice of the Strychnos toxifera, a tree or shrub of the same genus with that which yields nos vomiea. (See STRYCIINOS.) It has a climb ing stem, thickly covered with long, spreading, reddish hairs: rough, ovate, pointed leaves: and large, round fruit. The poison. when introduced into the blood, acts on the end plates of the mus cles, peripheral end organs of the motor nerves, causing complete paralysis without affecting con sciousness, sensation, circulation, or respiration except indirectly. Convulsions are due to the
asphyxia which results from paralysis of the muscles concerned in respiration. Death finally occurs from this respiratory paralysis. Curari is supposed to be the most powerful sedative known. Artificial respiration is the most effica cious means of preventing its effects. It has been proposed to employ it in the cure of lockjaw and hydrophobia, but it merely stops the con vulsions and is itself very dangerous on acount of the liability to paralysis of the respiratory muscles. Like snake-poison, it is comparatively inert when taken into the stomach.