3i6 



1HE ALUMNI JOURNAL. 



physician, Dr. Luke Fleming, does not 

 believe that the poisoning was caused 

 by Elder. The active constituent of the 

 elder is not known farther than that 

 a report has recently appeared that 

 an Italian chemist has isolated Coniine 

 from the twigs and leaves of the related 

 European species, S. nigra. This would, 

 of course, explain the very similar symp- 

 toms to those of Cicuta poisoning. The 

 chemistry of the plant is now receiving 

 thorough investigation in the division of 

 pharmacology in the United States De- 

 partment of Agriculture. 



Of known poisonous barks of this 

 vicinity our list is a small one. The 

 same suspicions already recorded may be 

 applied to the bark of Ailanthus. As I 

 shall show farther along that the leaves 

 of Kalmia, Pieris, Ledum palustre, 

 and the seeds of a horse chestnut are 

 poisonous, the barks of the same must 

 be regarded with suspicion. Prunus se- 

 rotina and P. Virginiana are well known 

 as yielding medicinal barks. Although 

 these barks may be taken in large quan- 

 tity there is doubtless a limit beyond 

 which they would not be safe, and we 

 must place them among those which must 

 be used with caution. Both the leaves 

 and seeds of Taxus are known to be 

 poisonous and its bark also should be re- 

 garded with suspicion. 



Although I have spoken of the root of 

 Sambucus as being the poisonous part, 

 it is to be borne in mind that it is the 

 bark portion of the root which is active. 

 The bark of the stem acts similarly, 

 though in a less degree, so it is to be 

 classed as one of the two positively 

 poisonous barks which I shall designate. 



The other is the Robinia Pseudacacia 

 or common Locust. Of this Dr. Johnson 

 records that by eating the roots children 

 are poisoned with symptoms like those 

 of Belladonna poisoning, and that the 



bark and leaves are emetic. Prof. F. W- 

 Power has experimented upon himself 

 with the stem bark of this tree, proving 

 the very serious effects which it produces, 

 and he has examined its composition 

 with the result of showing that the 

 poisonous constituent is an albuminous 

 substance, thus confirming the general 

 character of that family, the Leguminosae. 

 The most positive and prominent case 

 recorded in regard to this article is that 

 of Dr. Z. P. Emery. In the latter part 

 of March, 1887, thirty-two boys, inmates 

 of the Brooklyn Orphan Asylum, were 

 poisoned at one time by eating a bark 

 which was being stripped in the vicinity 

 for the making of fence posts. None of 

 the cases terminated fatally. The pro- 

 minent symptoms, stated in the order of 

 their occurrence, were the vomiting of a 

 ropy mucus, flushing of the face, dilated 

 pupil, dryness of the throat, feeble pulse, 

 extremities cool, face pale, vomiting of 

 blood, cold extremities, heart feeble and 

 intermitting, face deathly pale and 

 stupor. The symptoms as I have named 

 them are seen to be progressive. A rash 

 similar to that of Belladonna poisoning 

 was also present, but very fleeting. In 

 the beginning there was a high fever. 

 Treatment consisted of sinapisms over 

 the stomach, subcarbonate of bismuth, 

 camphor and brandy. 



This tree is so well known as a timber 

 tree of the eastern United States that no 

 description of it appears necessary. It is 

 not however to be mistaken for the Hon- 

 ey-locust or Gleditschia, or for the Ken- 

 tucky Coffee-tree or Gymnocladus. We 

 have however another species, though 

 somewhat less common, the R. viscosa 

 Vent., which doubtless possesses similar 

 properties. 



Under herbage, in which term I 

 shall include leaves, we find a large 

 number of suspicious and positively pois- 



