60 



It is said of llic Lcallici'wooil (J>ii-cii paliistris L.) that tlic "fresh bark 

 a]»iili((l t(i liii' sl<iii ciiuses rediioss and vesit-atioii and sores, which are 

 very (lilliciill lo heal." Ei«lit sii1).i('cts were treated l).v liindins pleees of 

 freshly stripped l)aii< iiikui tlieii' arms. allowiiiL;- tlieiii to remain for 

 periods raiijiiuK fi-oin twD to twenty-four lioiir.s. Six sliowed no evil effects 

 of any kind, while in the cases of the other two a somewhat painful hy- 

 perieniia i'esidte<l. easily i-ednced Ity an apiilication of vaseline. Somewhat 

 s(ranKel.\. tlie two affected represented the extremes of time, two and 

 twenty-l'oiir hom's. Three other studentr-! chewed the fresh bark for a 

 few minutes and in each case an extremely i)ainfnl lilistcriny- of the 

 mouth I'esulled. In my own case, tried sabseiiuently, the mucous mem- 

 branes of the mouth did not become normal for nearly a month. In the 

 ordiuiiry use of the ti'rm, the leatherwood is not a contact poison, al- 

 thouf^h in exceptional cases it may prove such. 



Aralia si)inosa T... Angelica Tree or Hercules ('lull, w;is found without 

 iri-itatin.:; pi'inciple in three cases, the small amount of material available 

 preclndin.i;- more extended experimentation. It is claimed that "green 

 bark fi'om loots or small shrulis acts as an iri'itant." As far as the re- 

 sults go the statement is ^\■ith()Ut foundation. 



It is tlie i)oim]ar belief that Solanum Dulcamai'a L., ])oison or purple- 

 leavfMl iMghtsliade is one of the most virulent contact pcdsons. liy some 

 autliorities it is claimed to l)e an even more virulent skin poison than 

 poiscMi ivy, the symptoms being similar, but the poison much more diffi- 

 cult to eradicate from the system. Tests made upon fifteen sub.iects failed 

 utterly to .justify the popular view. The plants Avere used in all stages 

 and at all seasons, but in every case without the slightest irritation. I 

 have ti'ied many times to poison myself with this species, frequently 

 taldng plants selected by persons who claimed an absolute knowledge of 

 the i)oisonous character of the form and always without untoward results. 

 The result of tlK'se experiments makes it almost certain that the purple- 

 leaved inght shade should not be considered as one of our poisonous plants. 



The ".limson" weeds (Datura Stramonium L. and D. Tatula L.) also 

 have a bad reputation. Fourteen subjects were tested and in no case was 

 there any sign of inflammation. No experiment was made to verify the 

 statement that the forms "occasionally cause a swelling of the eyelids." 

 It is probable that none of our native species of Solanaceae are as poison- 

 ous as the foliage of the potato and tomato, to which frequent eases of 

 skin poisoning may be deflnitel.v referred. 



