5 88 



and may fall to the ground ; there is constipation, but the appetite 

 continues good, and there is no thirst ; incontinence of urine comes 

 on, and the animal is short of breath on making any exertion. "On 

 the tenth day, what might be called the minor symptoms pass off, 

 leaving the animal partially paralysed, generally for life." Mac- 

 rozamia poisoning, though serious, is " not a direct cause of death ; 

 animals dying, as a rule, simply from starvation, through inability to 

 move about and procure food." Poisoned animals fatten readily 

 when well fed, and their flesh, as \vell as the milk of cows, retain 

 their wholesome qualities. 



Post mortem examinations showed that the poison had taken 

 effect on the smaller arteries of the body, causing thrombosis or 

 blocking of the tubes, thus interfering with the blood supply of 

 different organs, and leading to incurable disease. The effects are 

 similar to those produced by ergot of rye, one of the most valuable 

 and important drugs in the Pharmacopoeia. No abnormal appear- 

 ances were found in the digestive canal, but the liver was studded 

 with patches of congestion and the kidneys were congested. 

 Thrombosis of the smallest arteries, and of those passing through 

 the bones of the spine to the spinal marrow, was found, with pale- 

 ness of the muscles, exudation between them and blood-stained 

 patches in the neighbourhood of the small arteries ; occlusion 

 of the capillary vessels at the tips of the ears, at the coronets 

 and at the tip of the tail, associated with loss of hair at those parts, 

 leaving the skin bare and shiny. In cases of old standing the 

 horns soften, bend downwards and even drop off. The brain 

 was found to be normal, but reddish watery fluid was found in the 

 spinal column, the spinal membranes were injected, and in old- 

 standing cases the arachnoid was thickened with a fatty albuminous 

 substance under it, while the spinal cord had undergone white 

 softening from the middle of the loins backwards. 



According to Mr. Edwards, no form of treatment is of any use 

 after the second week. A laxative not a powerful purgative 

 should be given lirst of all to clear away the poisonous material 

 from the digestive canal, relaxation of the constricted arteries 

 throughout the system is to be sought, and absorption of the 

 exudation to be promoted. He recommends the following hypo- 

 dermic injection to be made : Eserine, i^ gr., dissolved in 2 dr. 

 rect. spirit of wine, mixed with pilocarpine, i^ gr., in 2 dr. water. 

 These form a strong dose, taking effect in a few minutes, producing 

 salivation and purging, with some constitutional disturbance. Ac- 

 cording to Mr. Edwards, it acts as a certain antidote when admini- 

 stered within two weeks of the attack. 



BLIND POISON. 



Slyptintirn ghuica. A leafy perennial, with stems on a creeping 

 rootstock ; under one foot, and sometimes two or three feet high ; 

 woody and branched at the bases ; leaves in two opposite rows, 



