10 PASTORAL AND AGRICULTURAL BOTANY 



I. Poisons which Cause Gross Anatomic Changes of the Organs. 



A. Those which act as irritants. 



i. Acids; (2) Caustic alkalis; (3) Caustic salts; (4) Locally irritating 

 substances such as cotton oil and savin; (5) Gases and vapors 

 which cause local irritation when breathed, as chlorine. 



B. Those with little local effect, but alter other parts of the anatomic 



structure, as lead and phosphorus. 



II. Blood Poisons. 



1. Those which interefere in physical manner with the circulation, 



as: ricin, abrin. 



2. Poisons which have the property of dissolving the red corpus- 



cles, as saponin. 



3. Poisons which with or without solution of the red corpuscles 



produce methaemoglobin, as picric acid. 



4. Poisons which have a peculiar action on the coloring matter of 



the blood, or on its products of decomposition, such as carbon 

 monoxide. 



III. Poisons which Kill without Anatomic Change. 



i. Cerebro-spinal poisons, as cocaine, atropin, morphin, nicotin, 



coniin, aconitin, strychnin, etc. 

 2. Heart poisons, as digitalis, helleborin, muscarin. 



IV. Poisonous Product of Tissue Change. 



1. Poisonous albumin. 



2. Poisons formed in foods. 



3. Auto-poisoning, as uraemia. 



4. Products of tissue change, as ptomaines, etc. 



Bernhard H. Smith's Ckssification of Poisons. This is one of the 

 most complete classifications proposed, and is adopted by L. H. Pammel 

 in his Manual of Poisonous Plants (1910). 



The main facts of this classification without going into a consideration 

 of the treatment which Pammel gives in his outline are as follows: 



POISONS ACTING ON THE BRAIN 



I. Narcotics. 



Symptoms. Giddiness; dimness of sight; contracted pupils; head- 

 ache; noises in the ears; confusion of ideas, and drowsiness, passing into 

 insensibility. 



Example. Poppy (Papa-ver somniferum). 



