CHAPTER 2 

 POISONING BY PLANTS. GENERAL PRINCIPLES 



Poisonous plants are those which contain some deleterious or toxic 

 substance, which injures health, causes intoxication, 1 lowers the physical 

 and mental tone, produces at times convulsions and in many cases results 

 in the death of the victim. 



The classification of poisons has been attempted by a number of toxi- 

 cologists. While their classifications are a scientific attempt at arranging 

 the facts known about poisonous substances, they are only approximations. 

 Much remains to be done along the lines opened up by modern chemistry, 

 physiology and toxicology. Blyth gave one of the earlier and simpler of 

 the classifications proposed for poisons. 



Blyth's Classification of Poisons. 



A. Poisons causing death immediately, or in a few minutes. 



Prussic acid, strychnin. 



B. Irritant Poisons. Symptoms mainly pain, vomiting and purging. 



Savin, ergot, digitalis, colchicum, yew, laburnum. 



C. Narcotic and Irritant Poisons. Symptoms of an irritant nature, 

 with more or less cerebral indications. 



Oxalic acid, or oxalates. 



D. Poison more especially affecting the nervous system. 



1. Narcotics. Chief Symptoms: insensibility which may be preceded 



by more or less cerebral excitement. Opium. 



2. Deliriants. With delirium as a prominent symptom: Bella- 



donna, hyoscyamus, stramonium and other Solanaceae, poison- 

 ous fungi, Indian hemp, darnel, etc. 



3. Convulsives. Alkaloids of the strychnin class. 



4. Nervous phenomena of complex character. Aconite, digitalis, 



poison hemlock, curare. 



Kobert's Classification of Poisons. The writer has used this classi- 

 fication of Kobert for a number of years in his exposition of the subject 

 of poisonous plants at the University of Pennsylvania. It is a useful one 

 in emphasizing the organs of the animal affected by poisons. 

 1 Not used in sense of drunkenness, as after an alcoholic debauch. 



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