Lead Poisoning . Plnnibism. 145 



Symptoms in Ruminants. These are described by Herapatli as 

 following the erection of lead smelting furnaces in the'Mendip 

 Hills in Somersetshire. There were stunted growth, emaciation, 

 shortness of breathing, paralysis of the extremities, particularly 

 the hinder ones, the flexor muscles of the fore limbs affected so 

 that the animals stood on their toes, swelling of the knees and 

 death in a few months. Even if removed to a healthy locality 

 the victims failed to thrive. The effects were most pronounced 

 in the j^oung. Lambs were born parah^tic ; at three weeks 

 old they could not stand, and palsy of the glottis rendered it 

 dangerous to feed from a bottle. Twent^'-one out of twenty- 

 three died early. The milk of cows and sheep was reduced in 

 quantity and quality, and contained traces of lead. The cheese 

 had less fat in it. The dead showed the mucous surfaces paler 

 than natural and the lungs had large areas with abruptly circiim- 

 .scribed margins of a dark red color, surcharged with fluid. A 

 blue line appeared on the gum close to the teeth, and from this 

 a globule of lead could be melted under the blowpipe. 



In the cases that have come under my observation paralysis of 

 the hind limbs, emaciation and low condition, have been most 

 prominent in the chronic forms, while these have been compli- 

 cated by torpor of the bowels, blindness, stupor, coma, and more 

 or less frequent paroxysms of delirious excitement or convulsions 

 in the acute. In the chronic cases the blue line on the gums is 

 an important symptom. 



Herepath noticed that near the smelting furnaces pigs escaped 

 if kept in the pen but suffered if allowed to go at large. This is 

 explained by the presence of lead in the forms of oxide, car- 

 bonate and sulphate on the herbage, hay and hedge rows, and in 

 short, on all vegetation. ■ 



In post mortem examination the stomach should be carefull}^ 

 searched for lead in the metallic form as sheet lead, bullet .spra)', 

 etc., for the different forms of paint of which lead forms an in- 

 gredient, for the discarded white lead packing of pipes and ma- 

 chiner}% and even for solid masses of metallic lead. This is 

 e-speciall}' necessary in the case of cattle in which the morbid 

 habit of eating non-alimentary matters is so common, and for 

 which the sweet taste of some of the lead compounds seems to 

 offer an attraction. The lead being long retained in the fir.st 

 10 



