from
The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48
Savin \Sav"in\, Savine \Sav"ine\, n. [OE. saveine, AS. safinae,
savine, L. sabina herba. Cf. {Sabine}.] [Written also
{sabine}.] (Bot.)
(a) A coniferous shrub ({Juniperus Sabina}) of Western Asia,
occasionally found also in the northern parts of the
United States and in British America. It is a compact
bush, with dark-colored foliage, and produces small
berries having a glaucous bloom. Its bitter, acrid tops
are sometimes used in medicine for gout, amenorrhoea,
etc.
(b) The North American red cedar ({Juniperus Virginiana}.)
[1913 Webster]
from
Bouvier's Law Dictionary, Revised 6th Ed (1856)
JUNIPERUS SABINA, med. jur. This plant is commonly called savine.
2. It is used for lawful purposes in medicine, but too frequently for
the criminal intent of producing abortion, generally endangering the life of
the woman. It is usually administered in powder or oil. The dose of oil for
lawful purposes, for a grown person, is from two to four drops. Parr's Med.
Dictionary, article Sabina. Fodere mentions a case where a large dose of
powdered savine had been administered to an ignorant girl, in the seventh
month of her pregnancy, which had no effect on the foetus. It was, however,
near taking the life of the girl. Fodere, tome iv. p. 431. Given in
sufficiently large doses, four or six grains in the form of powder, kills a
dog in a few hours, and even its insertion into a wound has tho same effect.
Orfila, Traite des Poisons, tome iii. p. 42. For or a form of indictment for
administering savine to a woman quick with child, see 3 Chit. Cr. Law, 798.
Vide 1 Beck's Med. Jur. 316,