CHAPTER XXV 



SOMETHING CONCERNING ORGANIC AND INORGANIC 

 POISONS 



Horses, like most other animals, are liable to suffer from 

 the effects of various organic and inorganic poisons when 

 these are taken into the system. If these enter by the 

 mouth the usual result is that inflammation is set up in 

 the stomach and in the intestines, and this may be the' 

 cause of the animal's death. Both vegetable and mineral 

 substances act in this m.anner if these agents are of a 

 poisonous nature. It is of interest to note that, while 

 both arsenic and antimony are such extremely poisonous 

 agents to man and many other animals, antimony, so far 

 as the horse is concerned, does not, when taken internally, 

 cause any irritation or symptoms of poisoning ; yet 

 arsenic will if the dose is excessive. Amongst the British 

 plants of a poisonous nature mention must be made of 

 the yew, the foxglove, the deadly nightshade, the hem- 

 lock, the dropwort, the water hemlock, the bitter-sweet, 

 the laburnum, the hlac, etc. Perhaps the commonest 

 amongst these is the yew, the leaves of which, when con- 

 sumed by a horse, are of a very deadly nature, and quite 

 a number of instances of death have been recorded 

 through eating this plant. The yew (taxus) is a well- 

 known ornamental shrub, commonly growing around 

 suburban villas, and sometimes in hedges ; in fact, one 

 occasionally meets with a whole hedge formed of yew. 

 There is an Enghsh and an Irish variety of this plant, 

 but they are both equally deadly. The plant seems to be 

 more active at certain seasons than others, but no risk 



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