THE ALUMNI JOURNAL. 



317 



onous species. Except when ignorantly 

 or carelessly taken in overdoses for med- 

 icinal purposes, which subject it is not 

 my purpose to discuss this evening, poi- 

 soning by leaves and other herbage is al- 

 most always referrible to the lower ani- 

 mals in grazing or to the ignorant, care- 

 less or mistaken use of poisonous plants 

 as salads or greens. 



The same poisonous character already 

 ascribed to roots or barks or both apply 

 to the leaves also, though not always in 

 equal degree, in case of the following. 

 Aconite, Locust, Cicuta, Sambucus, Ve- 

 ratrum, L,ily-of-the- Valley and Wild 

 Cherry. 



Of Cicuta it is to be remarked that we 

 possess a second species, to be regarded 

 with great suspicion, the C. bulbifera L, 

 so-called because of its bearing little 

 bulblets in the leaf axils. 



Of Wild Cherry leaves, in which term 

 I shall here include also Choke-Cherry 

 leaves, one of our most curious and im- 

 portant facts is to be recorded. It is 

 known to all farmers that cattle and horses 

 may browse upon the herbage of Wild 

 Cherry among other shrubs, when the 

 pasture is low without injurious results, 

 if the plants be still growing and the 

 leaves fresh and crisp; but numerous 

 fatal results have been observed from 

 eating the same leaves after the tree had 

 been felled or the branches broken off 

 and the leaves allowed to wilt. It has 

 been suggested that this may result from 

 obstruction by the mass of tough, wilted 

 herbage; but the poisonous symptoms are 

 not the slow ones of mechanical obstruct- 

 ion, but the swift ones of prussic acid 

 poising. A case fully illustrating these 

 facts came to trial in this State a few 

 months since- A number of cattle were 

 found dead in a field in the vicinity of 

 some wild cherry trees which a neighbor 

 had cut and allowed to fall across the 

 fence and into this pasture, where they 



became wilted before the cattle had an 

 opportunity of reaching them. The de- 

 fense was that the cattle had been struck 

 by lightning, but no evidence of this 

 could be adduced and judgment was ren- 

 dered for the plaintiff. 



The poisonous effects of the herbage 

 of Veratrum are well illustrated by the 

 following: A family in New England 

 had heard of the Caltha palustris as fur- 

 nishing a wholesome green in early 

 spring and not knowing the plant, had 

 taken a description of it and gone into a 

 swamp where it was supposed to grow, 

 to collect it. All partook freely of the 

 article, which subsequently proved to be 

 Veratrum, and all were violently poison- 

 ed, though none of them died. Fortun- 

 ately poisoning by this well-known plant 

 is rarely fatal, though the suffering is 

 severe and continues for some days. 

 Safety is afforded because of the slow ab- 

 sorption of the poison and the free 

 emesis, which generally comes on early. 

 Indeed, persistent and uncontrollable 

 vomiting is the chief symptom and is ac- 

 companied by depression of all the vital 

 powers, cerebral anaemia being the prime 

 result. In the above case emesis was 

 tardy in developing and had to be as- 

 sisted. 



Poisonous herbs of a minor character, 

 that is those not recorded as having pro- 

 duced serious results but of a suspicious 

 nature, are Menyanthes, the violets, Ail- 

 anthus, Lobelia syphilitica, L., and L. 

 cardinalis, L-, Linaria vulgaris Mill., 

 Chenopodium ambrosioides L-, the two 

 Laurels, Pieris and Solanum nigrum L. 



and S. Dulcamara L. 



Ailanthus leaves are placed in this class 

 because of the history which has already 

 been given in connection with the roots. 



The Lobelias named are suspected be- 

 cause of the very poisonous nature of their 

 relationship, of which I shall speak far- 

 ther on in connection with the L. inflata. 



