46 MEDICINAL HEKBS AND POIISONOUS PLANTS 



It is therefore quite different from the rhubarb otoavu in 

 our gardens and docs not concern us here. As a matter 

 of fact, our culinary rhubarb is not a British species 

 either, but as it has become as familiar as any other 

 vegetable groAA^n in our gardens, we may fairly accept 

 its naturalization. Its source of origin has not yet been 

 ascertained, and the vicays that have been advanced on 

 this point need not detain us here. The plant lias lately 

 sprung into prominence, because, owing to the desire to 

 make the utmost use of our green food, attention has 

 been misdirected to the possibilities of rhubarb leaves. 

 The following extract copied from the Glasgow Herald 

 of 5th May, 1917, may be taken as an example of what 

 has happened on several occasions: '*An inquest was 



held at Pinner on Saturday on D P , 12 years 



of age, wdio died as the result of eating cooked rhubarb 



leaves, Mrs. P said she followed the advice given 



in a newspaper. The evidence showed that in the family 

 a mother and three daughters were taken ill after eating 



the leaves, but the others recovered. Mrs. P- said 



she cooked the leaves like cabbaofe. A doctor who 

 attended the girl said the symptoms were those of oxalic 

 poisoning, and the results of the post-mortem confirmed 

 this. The Coroner added a strono; warnine: eo-ainst ent- 

 ing rliubarb leaves, and said there w^ere other cases or 

 similar deaths." 



The writer could match this account with at least a 

 dozen others giving similar evidence of the baneful effects 

 of eating the blades of rhubarb leaves. Two reasons 

 have contributed to the laroe number of such accidents. 

 In the first place, it is difficult to realize that whilst tons 

 of the leaf -stalk are eaten every year, another part of 

 the same plant organ, namely the leaf-blade, should be 

 in any way dangerous; consequently many have been 

 emboldened to make the venture. In the second place, 



