28 BULLETIN 800, U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 



AUTOPSY FINDINGS. 



As noted in the description of symptoms, bloating is noticeable 

 in practically all cases. This is found to be the result of the ac- 

 cumulation of gas not only in the first stomach, as is usual in most 

 cases of bloating, but also in other parts of the alimentary canal. 

 In the steer. No. 750, the gas occurred only in the first and second 

 stomachs. Five of the 11 sheep autopsied had all 4 stomachs dis- 

 tended with gas. In one the gas was confined to the first and second 

 stomachs and in 2 it was in the first, second, and fourth. In 3 

 there were no marked accumulations of gas in any of the stomachs, 

 but the animals were bloated during their illness and the gas 

 largely escaped either before death or soon after. In one case, 483, 

 the gas was found in the duodenum, jejunum, ileum, and cecum, as 

 well as in the stomachs. The distension of the cecum was noted in 6 

 cases. The presence of an abnormal quantity of gas in the alimen- 

 ary canal may be considered as a condition always present in cases 

 of poisoning by Asclepias galioides. 



More or less congestion was found in the walls of the fourth 

 stomach, duodenum, jejunum, ileum, and cecum. The colon was 

 congested in only one case. No. 506,^ in which there v/as congestion 

 in the second and third stomachs, as well as the f ovirth. 



The lungs were congested in 5 of the 11 cases. The kidneys were 

 generally congested, and in some cases congestion appeared in the 

 thymus and thyroids. The bladder was commonly contracted and 

 empt}^ Petechise or hemorrhagic spots occurred on the heart in 

 some cases but not often. 



There was usually congestion of the surface blood vessels of the 

 brain and sometimes clots between the cerebrum and cerebellum, or 

 in connection with the medulla. The blood vessels of the meninges 

 of the spinal cord were unusually full, and in some cases clots were 

 found in the cervical or lumbar region, or in both. The liver, so far 

 as appeared in the autopsies, was normal. 



The outstanding conditions which may be considered as character- 

 istic of poisoning by this plant are the abnormal quantity of gas in 

 the alimentary canal and the lesions in the kidneys and the central 

 nervous system. 



PATHOLOGY. 



Microscopic study of the various tissues from animals poisoned by 

 Asclepias galioides confirms the autopsy findings and shows some 

 changes not noted in the macroscopic examinations. The results of 

 the studies made on tissues from 9 sheep, 1 steer, and 1 guinea pig 

 show the lesions to be very uniform in character. 



The most prominent conditions found are marked capillary con- 

 gestion and a cloudy swelling of certain tissue elements which modi- 

 fies the appearance of congestion. The organs most noticeably 



