A 22-year-old college student is brought with acute psychosis, bilateral dilated non-reactive pupils, dry flushed skin, urinary retention, tachycardia, and visual hallucinations. His friend states he consumed seeds from a wild plant. The MOST likely agent is:
- A Cannabis
- B Cocaine
- C Datura (Dhatura) ✓
- D Organophosphorus compound
Correct answer: C. Datura (Dhatura)
Explanation
Datura (Dhatura stramonium) contains atropine and scopolamine, which produce anticholinergic syndrome: dry skin, mydriasis, tachycardia, urinary retention, delirium, and hallucinations. The classic mnemonic is 'blind as a bat, dry as a bone, red as a beet, mad as a hatter, hot as a hare.' OP poisoning causes cholinergic excess (miosis, salivation, bradycardia). Cocaine causes sympathomimetic syndrome. Cannabis causes euphoria and conjunctival injection, not anticholinergic features.
Reference: Reddy's The Essentials of Forensic Medicine and Toxicology, 35th ed.
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Written and medically reviewed by the StethoPrep medical team.