134 THE .TOUUNAL OF BOTAIS^Y 



and so is a function of the thicltness of the individual cuticle. This 

 i?7ms-derniatitis has been dwelt upon rather at length, owing to the 

 seventy of its nature and the danger of a wrong diagnosis. 



IV. Of quite a different type is the so-called ''Lilt/ Disease,^'' 

 which attacks particularly the flower-pickers in the Scilly Isles, 

 where Daffodils and other Narcissi are grown in enormous quantities 

 for market. It attacks the pickers chiefly during the harvesting 

 season when they are continually exposed to the sap from the cut 

 leaves and stems, although every part of the plant, including the 

 bulb, is said to be violently emetic and irritant (Sowerby& Johnson). 

 It would be impossible to give an exhaustive list of the many varieties 

 of Daffodil and Narcissus grown for market, and it would probably 

 be unnecessary, since it is unlikely that there would be much difference 

 between them from this point of view. The following, however, are 

 definitely singled out for mention by Walsh in his article on "Lily 

 Dermatitis," namely : — Narcissus odoriis, var. ' Campanelle : N. 

 poeticus var. ornnHis : N. Taz&tta, in the commercial varieties 

 ' Grand Monarque,' ' Scilly White,' and ' Gloriosus.' These are 

 ])laced in order of virulence according to the accounts of the workers, 

 l)ut all the varieties are said to be dangerous at times. The fiowers 

 ai-e o-rown in the open field, except those intended for the very earliest 

 lYmrket, wdiich are forced under glass. In the latter case the pickers 

 are working in a very steamy atmosphere in shirt-sleeves, so that 

 plenty of surface is exposed to the sap. In the fields the main crop 

 is gathered towards the end of March, and in these islands the sun is 

 quite strong enough even at that time of year to cause severe sun- 

 burn. The flowers and leaves are cut, and then made up in bunches 

 usuallv of a dozen blooms each. An expert buncher handles a great 

 many each day. The work is, of course, done entirely by hand, 

 including the packing in Hat Imskets for shipment. Every o])|)or- 

 tunity is thus afforded for the hands and arms of the workers to come 

 into contact with the cell-sap. Individual susceptibility seems to 

 play a great part in the development of this dermatitis, since some 

 workers escape entirely, others give a history of a single attack, while 

 some are so extremely susceptible that they dare not handle the 

 leaves or flowers. All are agreed, however, that anything which 

 lowers the general bodily resistance, such as exposure to cold or damp 

 for a long time, or any local injury, such as a bruise or sunburn, 

 ];redisposes to an attack. According to Walsh, the rash is "an 

 ei-vthema of papular, vesicular, or pustular type, of varying degrees 

 of severity, at times chronic, and in rare instances generalized." The 

 ])recise nature of the irritant has not yet been determined. It was 

 originallv described as "Oil of Jonquil, {sic) by Bernard Smith, who 

 ascribed this to all the members of the Amaryllidacese. No mention 

 of this hypothetical " Oil of Jonquil " is to be found in chemical 

 literature,"^ and experiments made with it by Walsh showed that it 

 was quite innocuous. Preparations of various kinds were made from 

 several varieties, but when applied to the unbroken skin gave a 

 negative result. The " succus," however, gave a positive result 

 when applied to an area of skin which had been slightly abraded with 

 a needle, producing an area of redness and swelling around the centre 

 of inoculation. A strong alcoholic tincture had a similar though 



