104 CAUSES AND PREVENTION OF DISEASE. 



Symptoms. — Symptoms of poisoning are rather slow in de- 

 velopment, death coming only after several weeks of gradual 

 decline. There have been observed sleepiness, loud and difficult 

 breathing, and slow decline. 



The proper treatment is, the removal of the exciting cause, 

 and tonics. 



WATER HEMLOCK, {Cicuta maculaia). 



Called also wild hemlock, snake weed, and spotted parsley. 



This is an erect perennial, growing three to six feet high. 

 The stem is hollow, with numerous branches and rather rigid. 

 The flowers are white and the roots are spindle shaped, growing 

 in clusters. This plant is found chiefly on damp soils all the 

 way from the Atlantic coast to the Rocky Mountains. 



The poison seems to reside chiefly in an oily fluid which 

 is found mainly in the root, but other portions of the plant also 

 contain the poison to some extent. 



The American water hemlock is one of the most poison- 

 ous plants in the United States. Quite a considerable number of 

 cases of poisoning, both in animals and human beings, have been 

 traced to this plant. It should not be forgotten that it is the 

 roots which are especially injurious. 



OREGON WATER HEMLOCK, (Cicuta vagans). 



This is a smooth growing perennial, with upright or strag- 

 gling stems. The plant grows from three to six feet high. The 

 leaves are compound, and spring from the ground instead of 

 from the stem. It appears commonly on low, marshy ground 

 in the extreme western and northwestern portions of the United 

 States. The flowers are white, and appear in July and August. 

 The root is fleshy and quite characteristic (see figure 40) and 

 is especially poisonous. A piece of root stalk as large as a 

 walnut is said to be fatal to a mature cow. 



Symptoms. — The most evident symptoms are acute abdom- 

 inal pains, difficulty in walking, with vomiting and convulsions. 

 This poisoning is very apt to be fatal. 



