134 OCCASIONALLY FATAL. 



SPURGE FAMILY Euphorbiaceae. 



THE CASTOR OIL PLANT, Ricinus communis L., contains 

 in its seeds the poison ricin, which remains in the cake 

 after the castor oil has been pressed out. These seeds are 

 stated to have caused death in man, and Chesnut says 

 they have killed horses when eaten accidentally, and that 

 sheep have been poisoned with them. "They cause vomit- 

 ing, gastric pain, bloody diarrhoea and dullness of vision." 

 (Pammel). An antitoxin has been discovered, after the 

 use of which animals may be fed on the castor bean cake 

 without injury. 



The plant is ornamental, and is often cultivated. It is 

 a smooth, branching annual, five feet or more in height, 

 with large, palmately lobed leaves. The large mottled 

 seeds are enclosed in the somewhat spiny case. 



SUMAC FAMILY Anacardiaceae. 



POISON IVY Rhits Toxicodendron L. 



Other Common Names: Poison-oak, Poison-vine, 

 Three-leaved Ivy. 



This plant is a native of eastern North America and 

 extends west to Alberta. It is notorious for its extremely 

 irritating effect on the skin. It contains a non-volatile 

 oil, toxicodendrol, which, when brought into contact with 

 the skin of a susceptible person, causes inflammation and 

 swelling, accompanied by intense irritation, and followed 

 by vesicles or blisters. The skin breaks and a liquid 

 exudes which, on drying, forms crusts or scabs. Pammel 

 quotes two reports of death from severe Ivy poisoning 

 in the case of children. 



The action is slow, characteristic symptoms appearing 

 only after a lapse of eighteen hours or more. Some people 



