POISONS 257 



War. It found its way slowly through Central Africa from 

 Abyssinia, and destroyed most of the buffaloes and many of 

 the wild ruminants in its course to the south. When it 

 reached the trek oxen used in transport work, it was carried 

 by them and left by the way, and it spread rapidly ; but a 

 good many cattle (probably 75 per cent.) were saved towards 

 the end of the outbreak by treatment under Professor Koch's 

 method injection of serum from the blood of an animal 

 which had recovered from the malady and which had been 

 fortified by receiving several subcutaneous injections of 

 virulent blood. 



Poisons are "substances which when absorbed into the 

 blood are capable of seriously affecting health or destroying 

 life" (TAYLOR). In the case of the lower animals, irritants 

 which do not come within the scope of that definition should 

 also be added. Stock may be poisoned by accident or 

 mistake, on rare occasions by evil intent, by excessive doses 

 of medicine, by grazing on poisoned herbage or having 

 access to poisons in bulk, by careless dipping, by cutaneous 

 absorption, or by licking after skin-dressing. Arsenic is a 

 good example of a common mineral poison, belladonna of 

 a vegetable poison, and cantharides of a poison of animal 

 origin. The action, as in the case of mustard, may be 

 merely that of an irritant on the alimentary canal, but it 

 may, on the other hand, be physiological, and by its action on 

 the nervous system produce, like belladonna, an effect akin 

 to coma. 



" The treatment must be prompt and energetic, the 

 cause sought for, pastures examined for injurious plants, 

 the possibility considered of contamination by mineral 

 poisons of water and pastures, or of impurity of cakes 

 and other feeding stuffs. The curative treatment comprises 

 certain general principles. First eliminate the poison from 

 the system as soon as possible, and, if it has been only 

 recently administered, the stomach pump is effective; if this 

 be not at hand, or if the poison has been in the system 

 some time, demulcent drinks, as wheat-flour gruel, and white 

 of egg should be given, as well as an oleaginous purgative 

 followed by stimulants. If the poison be known, there may 

 be an antidote which should be administered. But antidotes 

 are not known for all poisons. They are used in cases of 



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