10 THE LARKSPURS AS POISONOUS PLANTS. 



be interfered with, as Mosse " has proved that starved and nephrecto- 

 mized rabbits show histological changes in the liver cells. 



On February 20, lOOT, a well-fed rabbit weighing 1,403.29 grams 

 was etherized for 12 minutes and then fed an extract of 50 grams 

 to see if the increased toxic action of the plant was due to any inter- 

 ference with the metabolism caused by the ether. On February 23 

 this animal showed no symptoms, weighing 1,360.78 grams, and on 

 February 25 the weight was 1,403.29 grams. The urine collected in 

 60 hours was shaken with benzol, as it had previously been found that 

 much, if not all, of the active principles of Delphinivm cam/porum 

 goes into the alkaline benzol shaking by the Dragendorff method. 

 Tlie residue from the benzol evaporations was then taken up with 

 acetic acid water. On removing the acid by heat a few drops were 

 injected into the dorsal lymph sac of a male frog [Raiui clamitans) 

 weighing 35 grams. This animal soon became paralyzed and was 

 unable to move, but recovered over night. The following day a few 

 more drops were injected with the same result, showing that some of 

 the active principle of the Delphinium was eliminated with the urine. 



From these experiments it can be seen that aqueous extracts of 

 Deljyhhiium camporuiii will kill rabbits on subcutaneous injection, 

 and also by mouth if the dose is large, while much smaller doses 

 will kill if the elimination is interfered with, as by tying off the ure- 

 ters, or after starving, a condition which intensifies the action, prob- 

 ably by accelerating absorption. What seems to be the cause of the 

 uncertainty in the results, especially in the lack of striking results in 

 the feeding experiments, is that no consideration was given to the fact 

 that the poisoning in this case may be simply the resultant of the 

 excretion and absorption of the plant ; in other words, that very little 

 of the plant may be taken up by the gastro-intestinal tract and that 

 this may be eliminated by the kidneys before a poisonous dose has 

 been absorbed, so that the question of poisoning becomes one of 

 rapidity of absorption. This is well known to be the case with 

 curare, where the administration by mouth, except in large doses, is 

 not likely to prove poisonous unless the elimination is interfered with 

 as by tying the ureters.'' Consequently the conditions most favorable 

 for poisoning on the range would be those Avhich aid the more thor- 

 ough extraction of the poisonous principle from the plant by the 

 gastro-intestinal tract, thus favoring absorption, and those which 

 interfere with the elimination by the kidneys or interfere Avith the 

 storing of the poison by the liver, as renal and hepatic disease or lack 

 of salts, which normally increase diuresis. 



a Mosse, M. Ueber Lebei'zellenvevlindermigeii nephrektomierter \\. hungern- 

 der Thiere. Zeits. f. Klin. Med., vol. GO. p. 373. 190G. 



6 Bi-uiiton, T. L. Text-Book of Pharmacology, .3d ed., London, 1893, p. 38. 

 lll-i 



