SEED POISONING. 437 



Crofon seeds are oval and triangular or imperfectly quadran- 

 gular in shape ; but, as in the case of castor seeds, are only seen 

 in the ground state, in cakes. The testa or outer seed coat is 

 cinnamon brown in colour, and when scraped shows a blackish 

 appearance, and underneath the brittle testa there is an inner 

 pale -coloured part which surrounds the yellow endosperm. 



Symptoms. — Both croton and castor oil seeds have similar 

 effects upon the animal economy. In a short but variable time, 

 depending upon the extent of the adulteration, the animals fed 

 upon such cakes preocnt symptoms of great prostration, uneasi- 

 ness, and excessive diarrhoea, the watery alvine evacviations 

 containing clots of blood and large quantities of mucus. In 

 calves stomatitis is a prominent symptom, the mouth being 

 covered with thick layers of epithelium, which readily peel off, 

 exposing the mucous membrane red and congested in appearance ; 

 there is much flow of saliva, and champing of the lips, as seen 

 in foot and mouth disease. 



The post-mortem appearances are those of gastro-enteritis. 



Treatment. — Demulcents, such as starch, gruel, linseed tea, 

 with opium and chalk, to allay irritation, and some antiseptic, 

 such as carbolic acid or small doses of soda hyposulphite, to 

 arrest stercoral putrefaction, with stimulants to overcome the 

 great depression and prevent a fatal collapse. Eggs, milk, and 

 other fluid nutrients may also be necessary in order to over- 

 come the feebleness of the heart's action. 



Powerful astringents should not be administered in the earlier 

 stages, as they, by checking the outpouring of fluid from the 

 vessels, prevent the removal of the poison and increase the 

 congestion. 



LATHYEIASIS. 



A disease induced in the horse by feeding on a leguminous 

 seed called tlie Lathyrus sativa, — the vetchling. Professor 

 Stewart Macdougall, of the New Veterinary College, has given 

 an interesting account of this plant in the Veterinary Journal, 

 January 1895. 



He says the natural order Leguminosre includes a very large 

 number of plants, having among them diverse properties, some 

 being nutritious, others purgative and astringent, and still others 

 poisonous. The lathyrus belongs to the sub-order Papilionaceae, 



