m] PapilionacedR 33 
lunatus are poisonous, and the fact is noted by Church (Food Grains of 
India, 1886), and by Watt (Dictionary of the Economic Products of 
India, 1889-96). The coloured forms, and particularly the wild forms, 
are the most dangerous, the white types being in general safe for 
stock feeding. Some forms have a general similarity to butter beans 
and haricots, and have hence been favourably regarded by farmers, but 
it is a sound plan to purchase under a guarantee beans with such names 
as those given. 
Toxic Principle. It was shown in 1903 (Proc. Roy. Soc., Vol. 72) 
that the seeds of P. lunatus, uncultivated in Mauritius, contained a 
cyanogenetic glucoside, Phaseolunatin (C 10 H 17 6 N). This glucoside, 
under favourable conditions, such as are present when the beans are 
moist, masticated and ingested at the temperature of the animal body, 
gives rise to prussic acid, which is the direct cause of poisoning. The 
seeds of the wild forms yield, like bitter almond seeds, considerable 
quantities of prussic acid, while the cultivated forms resemble sweet 
almonds in yielding only traces of the acid, or none at all. Deter- 
minations of the yield of prussic acid by various investigators show 
percentages of from 0-027 to 0-137 in Java beans, and 0-004 to 0-02 
in Burma beans. The largest proportion therefore occurs in the coloured 
beans, while the white forms contain much less or none at all, and may 
be generally regarded as safe for stock. 
Symptoms. The symptoms given by Damman and Behrens (Veter- 
inary Journal, 1906) were vertigo, tympany, and falling, with death in 
most cases. Mosselmann (Vet. Jour., 1908) observed the symptoms 
due to the ingestion of a small quantity of the beans by six head of 
cattle. They were: great excitement, salivation, swelling, slight 
diarrhoea, quick pulse and respiration, muscular spasms, and paralysis 
of the hind quarters in one instance ; all recovered rapidly. 
REFERENCES. 
5, 38, 76, 77, 107, 109, 125, 129, 144, 255. 
Castor Oil Plant (Ricinus communis L.). The beans (see Frontispiece) 
of this exotic are toxic, and poisoning is only likely to occur if they are 
sold in error as a feeding stuff, or from the use for feeding purposes of 
the press-cake after the extraction of the well-known castor oil, a pur- 
gative commonly used medicinally, of which the beans contain about 
50 per cent. According to Cornevin four seeds suffice to cause accidents 
in man, eight lead to very grave results, and beyond that number death 
may ensue. Pigs and poultry have been poisoned by the seeds, and 
L. 3 
