The last episode in our journey through time will focus on the early modern time period which stretches roughly from the15th century through the mid-18th century. This period includes the scientific revolution and the birth of modern philosophy, and also significant transformations in mathematics, mechanics, optics, astronomy, chemistry, biology, and medicine[1].

Hemlock in Early Modern Time
    
    During the early modern time period, Hemlock had only a limited use as a medicine. Due to the difficulty in extracting the proper amount of the desired component of  hemlock many physicians refrained from using it. I believe this shows somewhat of an advancement in the use of Hemlock for medicinal purposes from the ancient and medieval time periods. The decline in the use of Hemlock for medicinal purposes shows that the physicians were more educated on the uses and misused of hemlock and they realized that it took only a slight misjudgment in the dosage prescribed to turn it into a lethal poison. This led physicians to have a great respect for Hemlock and its strong toxins. Although there was a decline in its use during this time period, the physicians of the early modern time period did still use Hemlock, but probably with much greater care than the medieval physician. One of the components of hemlock that the physicians extracted for medical treatment was the alkaloid Coniine[3]. If the hemlock leaves are collected at the proper time they may be made up of  as much as 2.77 percent Coniine[3]. When extracted from the leaves the Coniine is a volatile, colorless, oily liquid, with very poisonous properties and a very bitter taste and disagreeable, penetrating, mouse-like odor[3]. Once extracted from the leaves Coniine was used as a sedative during surgeries or minor operations. It was also believed to act as an antidote to Strychnine poisoning. I think that this is very interesting fact that Hemlock was used to treat strychnine poisoning because the two herbals are very similar. Both were used to cure various human ailments and both could cause very serious adverse health effects, including death if they were taken in too strong of a dose. Along with being an antidote for Strychnine it was also used to treat other poisons such as tetanus, hydrophobia and rabies. A second way the Hemlock was employed during the early modern time included using the powdered bark of the Hemlock to staunch the flow of blood from a severe cut. With this information we can most likely assume that Hemlock was a very important part of many surgeries. Not only was it used to sedate the patient, it was also used to help stop the bleeding caused by the surgical procedures. The bark of the Hemlock plant, called tannin, was often applied to severe burns to help ease the pain and heal the wounds. The oil from hemlock was thought to be a cure for chest colds. It was also believed to be effective in the treatment of scrofulous disorders[2]. It seems that during the modern time period that the prevailing theory was to break hemlock into its basic components and use these components to treat very specific ailments.
   
Other Hemlock Information
    It was during this time period that Hemlock also started to become associated with European witchcraft. Although Hemlock was associated with witchcraft there appears to be little folklore or traditional belief associated with it other than its reputation for being used by European witches[2]. This association was most likely made because of Hemlock's poisonous nature. Witches were said to use Hemlock in spells to evoke demons and evil spirits, and to destroy love, cause madness or paralysis, and blast fertility in men and animals[4]. It was also one of the ingredients of the flying ointments which the witches supposedly anointed their bodies with before they flew to the Sabbat[4].

Extra Information on Modern Uses
    Modern uses of hemlock are due chiefly to the recommendations of Dr. Storck, of Vienna, during 1760. Dr. Storck was interested in furthering the knowledge that we had on the medical uses of hemlock. He began his experiments with hemlock by feeding extracts to a small dog[5]. He began on a dog because he believed it would be criminal to began these experiments directly on humans without first seeing the symptoms that a dog would get. He gave the dog 1.3 grams of the extract three times a day over the course of three days and since the dog showed no signs of illness he took it as a sign that the hemlock extracts were not causing any harm to the animal[5]. Feeling confident that the extracts did not harm the dog he began taking them himself. For eight days he took one grain of his extract in the morning and evening with a cup of tea. Feeling no ill effects, he eventually increased the dosage and, again feeling no ill effects, believed it to be safe to try on other people. Although there is no proof on the effectiveness of his hemlock extracts he believed them to prevent and cure cancer.





Bibliography:
1. Department of History and Philosophy of Science (Pittsburgh University)
    Web link: http://www.pitt.edu/~hpsdept/grad/AOC/early_mod_conc.html
2. "Hemlock- Britain's Most Common Plant,"
    Web Link: http://www.whitedragon.org.uk/articles/hemlock.htm
3. Mrs. M. Grieve,"A Modern Herbal,"
    Web Link: http://botanical.com/botanical/mgmh/h/hemloc18.html
4."Witches and Other Supernatural Beings"
    Web Link: http://www.tangledforest.com/superstitions/witchesx.html
5. Londa Schiebinger, "Human Experimentation in the Eighteenth Century,"
    Web Link: http://ser.stanford.edu/Papers/schiebinger%20HC.doc
Image 1:
"Poison Hemlock"
Website: www.botanical.com
Web link: http://botanical.com/botanical/mgmh/h/hemloc18.html

Authors Notes.
    I believe my secondary source by Mrs. M . Grieve to be a reliable source because the facts on this page agree with facts presented by David C. Lindberg, in his book,"The Beginnings of Western Science." I also believe it to be reliable because the information is from the home page Botanical.com which from my investigation is a very reliable source.
    I used my sources to provide real facts for some of the assumptions and interpretations that i made thought this episode. I believe the sources help to validate my claims and provide an excellent basis for my points of view.