Poisoned Curare Darts, date unknown

Description

As the label warns, this glass tube contains six poisoned curare darts.
Curare is the common name for a variety of plant alkaloids found in a number of plants originating from Central and South America.
Curare was used by South American indigenous people when hunting as a paralysing poison. Prey were shot with arrows or blowgun darts dipped in curare.
Given in a large enough dose curare paralyses the victim’s respiratory muscles, leading to death by asphyxiation.

Fact

From the early 1940s curare was introduced into anaesthesia as a muscle relaxant for surgery. It was also administered by injection in severe cases of tetanus.