PARAFFIN OIL POISONIXG. 477 



PARAFFIN OIL POISONING. 



I have met witli one instance where several head of cattle on 

 a farm were slowly poisoned by drinking from a stream into 

 which the refuse from paraffin works was discharged. 



The symptoms were, gradual loss of flesh, and a persistent 

 diarrhoea, and it was only on a post 'mortem examination being 

 made that the cause of death was discovered. The appearances 

 were as follows : — 



Anaemia, wasting of the muscles of the body generally; absence 

 of fat, and other signs of a prolonged mal-nutrition; the character- 

 istic lesions were discovered on opening the abdominal cavity. 

 The intestines had a greyish-black appearance throughout, and 

 were covered with very dark grey or blackish spots of a dull 

 appearance. These spots were found to consist of the various in- 

 testinal glands, surcharged with the pigmentary matters of crude 

 paraffin. The glands of the mesentery were more or less enlarged, 

 and presented the same dark appearance ; the lacteals were of 

 the same colour, and were found to contain paraffin ; the liver 

 presented nothing very unusual, but the kidneys, more especially 

 on their inferior surfaces, were covered with the dark spots. 



These animals, at least those which I hod the opportunity of 

 seeing, had been removed from the field, through which the 

 polluted stream flowed, some months prior ; they had continued 

 to eat moderately well, but everything they took seemed to pass 

 through the intestinal canal as if the power of absorption had 

 been entirely lost ; and when the condition of the glands and 

 lacteals was examined, this could be accovmted for ; indeed it 

 may be said that the animals had died from slow starvation, 

 arising from impermeability of the chyle vessels, due to their 

 being blocked up by crude paraffin. Although so long a time 

 had elapsed smce the paraffin had obtained access into the 

 body, the characteristic smell was retained ; and even many 

 months after tney were removed from the body, and preserved 

 in spirits, the odour was still recognisable. 



RHODODENDRON POISONING. 



Several cases of poisoning by the EJiododcndron Jiydridum 

 having been observed by my late student, ]\ir. Gun, Veterinary 



