272 FLORA HOMC@OPATHICA. 
Puystorocica. Errrcts.—On Animals generally: Euphor- 
bium acts on horses and dogs as a powerful acrid substance, 
irritating and inflaming the parts with which it is placed in 
contact, and by sympathy affecting the nervous system. When 
swallowed in large quantities, it causes gastro-enteritis (two 
ounces are sufficient to kill a horse); when applied to the skin, 
it acts as a rubefacient and epispastic. Farriers sometimes 
employ it as a substitute for cantharides for blistering horses, 
but cautious and well-informed veterinarians are opposed to its 
use (Pereira, op. cit.) 
On Man.—Messrs. Herring, the wholesale druggists in 
London, informed Dr. Christison that their workmen are sub- 
ject to headache, giddiness, and stupor, if they do not carefully 
avoid the dust when reducing this substance to powder. 
When Euphorbium dust is inhaled, and also applied to the 
face, it causes sneezing, redness and swelling of the face, and 
great irritation about the eyes and nose. In one person it 
always produced a sense of intoxication, and another was made 
temporarily insane by it, and who, during the fit, insisted on 
saying his prayers at the tail of the mill horse. 
A man was engaged at a mill where Euphorbium was being 
ground, and remained in the room longer than was considered 
prudent; suddenly he darted from the mill-room, and ran with 
great velocity down two pair of stairs ; on arriving at the ground- 
floor or yard, he became insensible and fell. Within five 
minutes I saw him; he was lying on his back, insensible and 
convulsed; his face was red and swollen; his pulse frequent 
and full, and his skin hot. I bled him, and within half an hour 
he became quite sensible, but complained of great headache. 
He had no recollection of his flight down stairs, which seems to 
have been performed in a fit of delirium (Pereira, op. cit.) 
Pyl (Aufsdl und Beobacht., vol. i. p. 79) states that when 
powdered Euphorbium is applied to the skin, it causes itching 
pain and inflammation, succeeded by vesication. A teaspoonful 
of the tincture of Euphorbium was administered to a man by a 
