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it maj' be well, lor the benefit of skeptics, to repeat in substance his 

 conclusions : 



During September he wrote that lie had carried on a thorough investigation 

 of the alleged poisonous nature of this hair-worm, and found absolutely nothing 

 toxic connected with it, either when eaten raw or when cooked or on cabbage 

 on which the creature had lived. Efforts to trace every reported case of poison- 

 ing in Tennessee resulted in ascertaining that they were all without foundation, 

 no authentic case could be cited, and finalh', he says " I am at a loss to under- 

 stand how such reports could gain credence and ever be published for facts in 

 the daily press." In order to determine whether or not the hair-worm had any 

 poisonous qualities he instituted a series of experiments, using rabbits, guinea- 

 pigs, cats, dogs, horses, and cows, finding that they could all eat the worms, 

 raw or cooked, with impunity. Extracts from the hair-worms prepared with 

 various solvents were also found to be entirely innocuous, administered inter- 

 nally (per orem) and injected hypodermically. 



" Believing that possibly these worms might cause decomposition or fermenta- 

 tion in the cabbage, with the production of poisonous substances, the result of 

 the decomposition," he allowed samples of cabbage, both raw and cooked, to 

 decompose with the worms, and then tested the decomposed material for poison- 

 ous properties as above, and in no case was any toxic substance obtained. 

 Chemical analyses of the worms and the products of decomposition mentioned 

 were made, and he was unable to find any ptomaine or other isolatable substance 

 of a toxic nature. » 



As a result the conclusion was reached "that the cabbage snake is 

 entirelj' harmless, and that public rumors and superstitions are fallacies 

 without semblance of foundation." 



Washington, D. C. Issued May 17, 1905. 



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