62 



death. In llij paunch or first stomach, however, which was 

 fairly well filled with food, were found a large number of kukui 

 leaves besides a number of fragments of a weed, asclepias cur- 

 rassavica L., which the owner had already suspected as the 

 possible cause of the many deaths. This weed, belonging to 

 the class commonly called milk weeds, is known to be poison- 

 ous, and several extensive outbreaks of disease among cattle 

 in the southern ])art of the United States have been ascribed to 

 this and closely allied species. The same plant is ]:)roclaimed 

 in Australia as poisonous, but nothing definite is known in 

 regard to the active principle it contains. L^rom information 

 gathered on the ranch the weed is said to have a deadening 

 effect upon lips and fingers if handled or tasted, producing a 

 local anesthesia somewhat similar to cocaine, from which facts 

 however it is diffictdt to deduct any connection with such 

 serious ])athological changes as those observed in the dead 

 animals. That no acrid poison is present is obvious from the 

 normal condition of the mucous membrane of li])s, tongue, 

 mouth and gullet, but it is therefore not excluded that fer- 

 mentation <ir contact with the gastric tUiids ma\- jiroduce 

 chemical changes in the poisonous i)rinciple of the plant^ ren- 

 dering it acrid after it reaches the fmirth stomach, or else, that 

 the supposed anesthetic properties may, when absorbed into 

 the circulation, affect certain nerve centers and cause such 

 vasamotoric disturbances as to account for the sudden efifusion 

 of blood int(~) the intestines and the abdominal cavity, as well 

 as for the greatly enlarged spleen. 



A careful examination of the pasture in which ])ractically all 

 of the dead animals have been found, showed an abundance of 

 the weed in question, a large proportion of the plants showing 

 ])lain evidence of ha\'ing been crop]-)ed by the cattle. The weed 

 liowever is common throughout the Territory, and no i)revious 

 epidemic is known to have resulted from it, nor are cattle 

 known to eat it, as a rule ; but a ])rotracted drt)ught has prevail- 

 ed in this special neighborhood for the ])ast two years, and 

 grass and forage plant?* have practically disa]')i)eared, root and 

 all, exce])t such weeds as are usually left alone by the animals. 

 The earlier deaths may therefore be ascril)ed to the cattle eat- 

 ing the surviving weeds, while the more recent deaths, which 

 were then occurring' almost daily, were due to the new weed 

 springing u]) since the rains began a lew weeks ago. the cattle 

 eating them with a\idity since hardly any grass came up. It 

 is also possible, that the aninuils may have acquired a taste 

 for the ])oison such :is is loiown with regard to the loco weed. 



As already stated, both the owner and a Japanese farm hand. 

 were suffering from pustules and infected wounds on the 

 hands, and as the local physician h.ippeut'd to call at \]\v lime, 

 a slight pustule on the wrist of ihr owner was o])t'ued ami 



