208 The Philippine Journal of Science me 



of another. Three of the children died. There were observed 

 contracted pupil in one, mydriasis and bloody vomitus in three 

 cases, and foaming at the mouth, which was a prominent symp- 

 tom in our experiments on cats. Otherwise the symptomato- 

 logy was, in general, similar to that described by Montel and 

 by us. 



SYMPTOMATOLOGY AND DIAGNOSIS OF POISONING BY 

 ILLICIUM RELIGIOSUM 



According to these cases the following symptoms may occur 

 in cases of poisoning by Illicium religiosum: Foaming at the 

 mouth, repeated vomiting, diarrhoea, thirst, unconsciousness, 

 clonic and tonic convulsions, cramps in the legs, cephalalgia, 

 mental disturbances, insomnia, profuse sweating, oliguria or 

 anuria, large strong pulse giving place to small rapid pulse, cold 

 extremities, contracted or dilated pupils, paresis of the lower 

 limbs, and exhaustion. The vomitus may be streaked with blood. 

 During the convulsions the pupils as a rule dilate, the eyeballs 

 bulge, the head is retracted toward the back, the respiration 

 stops, and the face is cyanotic. According to Burdin (12) paresis 

 of the limbs was the most prominent symptom in all the cases 

 which came under his observation. Ferraud (13) claims that 

 it can be reproduced exclusively by varying the dose of Illicium 

 religiosum given to experimental animals. This we have not 

 yet studied carefully. In severe or fatal cases of poisoning 

 in man, repeated vomiting, diarrhoea, clonic and tonic convulsions 

 which appear in paroxysm, cramps in the legs, and retraction 

 of the head appear to be the most conspicuous sjonptoms. 

 Cholera, strychnine poisoning, tetanus, and perhaps cerebro- 

 spinal meningitis may be confounded with Illicium religiosum 

 poisoning; but the history that the above symptoms followed 

 the ingestion of the Illicium, and its presence in and about the 

 house and particularly in the vomitus and bowel evacuation of 

 the patient, should readily clear the difficulty in establishing a 

 definite diagnosis. 



IDENTIFICATION OF ILLICIUM RELIGIOSUM 



The fruit of Illicium religiosum, according to G. Planchon 

 and E. Collin, (14) is generally two thirds the size of that of 

 Illicium anisatum. The former seldom develops the full number 

 of carpels, and for this reason the rays formed by them are 

 rarely regular. The superior border of the carpel is never a 

 horizontal line, but it turns upward at the end, giving the 

 individual ray the form of a claw. The depression on the 



