56 



servable. Later the dried rooi was ground and a very annoying and 

 somewhat persistent irritation of the niuoous membranes of the eye re- 

 sulted, yielding only to treatment by an oculist. It is fair inference that 

 no part of the Pokeberry is a contact poison in tlie ordinary acceptance of 

 the term, although the plant does possess a poisonous principle which 

 under exceptional conditions may produce an inflammalion of a somewhat 

 obstinate and tlierefore serious character. 



The Baneberry (Aetata rubra (Ait.) Willd.) is said to contain a "vesicat- 

 ing principle." Experimentation upon fifteen subjects failed to verify this 

 statement. In this case, as in all others where negative results were ob- 

 tained, the experiments were repeated several times at different stages of 

 the development of the plant. 



The Field Larkspiu' (Delphinium consolida L.) is also claimed to be a 

 skin irritant. "A specific element in the seeds produces in tincture great 

 burning and inflammation of the skin." The experiments upon this form 

 were unsatisfactory because of tlie small amount of material available. 

 The tincture applied to the skin produced some slight burning and in- 

 flammation, although the latter w.as no greater than would be expected 

 from a similar treatment with pure alcohol. Evidently, however, the 

 Field Larkspur is in no sense to be considered a plant dangerous to handle. 



The Wild Anemone or Wind flower (Anemone quinquefolia L.), said to 

 be "irritating to the skin, producing redness and itching," was found, so 

 far as the experiments went, to be perfectly innocuous, not even those 

 who were most susceptible to skin irritations shoAving the slightest sign of 

 inflammatory symptoms. 



The Virgin's Bower or Wild Clematis (Clematis Virginiana L.), said to 

 contain an "acrid irritant producing blisters", affected nine out of seven- 

 teen subjects; four by the mere handling, the other five as a result of rub- 

 bing the skin with the leaves and flowers. A marked hypera^mia preceded 

 the vesicular stage of the inflammation, wliich in no case was of more 

 than three days duration. 



Three of the Crowfoots or Buttercups (Ranunculus sceleratus L., R. 

 acris L., and R. bulbosus L.), it is alleged, 'cause inflammation and ulcers, 

 the root being especially ricli in poisonous substances." Of these R. 

 sceleratus and R. bulbosus are sufficiently occasional in our area to be 

 neglected. R. acris, also, as at present delimited by systematists, is of 

 relatively scant occurrence in Indiana. Seven subjects were used. None 



