EUPHORBIACEAE— RICINUS 



595 



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Fig. 330. Castor Oil Plant (Ricinus communis). Furnishes the well 

 known castor oil of commerce. (After Faguet.) 



The symptoms of poisoning are vomiting, gastric pain, bloody diarrhoea 

 and dullness of vision. 



Stillmark 1 states that the toxalbumin of castor oil bean, when injected into 

 the circulation is more poisonous than strychnin, prussic acid, or arsenic. 



Quite recently Dr. W. N. Bispham - reported on several cases of poisoning 

 in Cuba from eating the seeds of the Castor oil plant. Some persons showed 

 peculiar susceptibility; in one case poisoning occured from eating a single seed, 

 while in another a good many were eaten ; in both cases the seeds caused 

 nausea, vomiting, and purging of a violent nature. 



Toxic substances similar to ricin occur in the following plants. Abrus 

 prccatoriiis (abrin), Jatropha curcas (curcin), Croton Eluteria (crotin), Robinia 

 Pseudo-Acacia (robin), Brayera anthelmintica (costoxin). According to Ceni 

 and Besta a toxin also occurs in Urtica, Viscum seedlings, Aspergillus flavus, 

 and A. fumigatus. 



1 Dorpat. Arch. 3: (1889). 

 2 Am. Jour. Med. Sci. 126: 319-321. 



