EUPHORBIACEAE RICINUS 



595 





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 2 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 

 precatorius (abrin), Jatropha curcas (curcin), Croton Eluteria (cretin), Robinia 

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

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

 and A. fumigatus. 



1 Dorpat. Arch. 3: (1889). 



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



