Lexic.us

Definition of Curare

1. Noun. A toxic alkaloid found in certain tropical South American trees that is a powerful relaxant for striated muscles. "Curare acts by blocking cholinergic transmission at the myoneural junction"

Definition of Curare

1. n. A black resinoid extract prepared by the South American Indians from the bark of several species of Strychnos (S. toxifera, etc.). It sometimes has little effect when taken internally, but is quickly fatal when introduced into the blood, and used by the Indians as an arrow poison.

Definition of Curare

1. Noun. A substance containing the alkaloid D-tubocurarine, used historically as a muscle relaxant during surgery. ¹

¹ Source: wiktionary.com

Definition of Curare

1. an arrow poison [n -S]

Medical Definition of Curare

1. Curare alkaloids are the active ingredients of arrow poisons used by South American Indians. Alkaloids that have muscle relaxant properties because they block motor end plate transmission, acting as competitive antagonists for acetylcholine. This entry appears with permission from the Dictionary of Cell and Molecular Biology (11 Mar 2008)

Lexicographical Neighbors of Curare

Literary usage of Curare

Below you will find example usage of this term as found in modern and/or classical literature:

1. A Manual of Pharmacology and Its Applications to Therapeutics and Toxicology by Torald Hermann Sollmann (1922)
"The effects of curare are obtained only if it is introduced under the skin or ... The experiments on the administration of curare by the stomach (mainly by ..."

2. The American Journal of the Medical Sciences by Southern Society for Clinical Investigation (U.S.) (1911)
"The Treatment of Strychnine Poisoning by Insufflation and curare. ... They have employed insufflation and curare in the treatment of experimental strychnine ..."

3. Poisons: Their Effects and Detection by Alexander Wynter Blyth, Meredith Wynter Blyth (1906)
"Commercial curare is a black, shining, resinoid mass, about 83 per cent, of which is soluble in water, and 79 in weak spirit. It is a complicated mixture of ..."

4. Diet in Health and Disease by Julius Friedenwald, John Ruhräh (1907)
"It is of much importance to determine the influence of curare on metabolism, because in the first place the drug is of much pharmacological value, and, ..."

5. The American Naturalist by American Society of Naturalists, Essex Institute (1894)
"Immunity of Salamanders in Respect to curare.—In a paper read before the. French Academy of Sciences, March 14th of this year, MM. ..."

6. Journal of Nervous and Mental Disease by American Neurological Association, Philadelphia Neurological Society, Chicago Neurological Society, New York Neurological Association, Boston Society of Psychiatry and Neurology (1882)
"Kunze has before reported thirty-five cases of epilepsy treated with curare, of which nine are reported cured. Now Edlefsen has been using ..."

7. The Annual of Scientific Discovery, Or, Year-book of Facts in Science and Art by David Ames Wells, Charles Robert Cross, John Trowbridge, Samuel Kneeland, George Bliss (1855)
"It was with this same curare, given to M. Pelouze in 1833, that M. Bernard made these interesting experiments. ON THE SO CALLED AMORPHOUS PHOSPHORUS. ..."

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