POISONING BY VERATRUM. VIRIDE. AMERICAN 



HELEBORE. 



Used ill the early days by New England farmers to destroy 

 birds in the cornfields (Osgood). Taken internally it reduces the 

 fullness and frequency of the pulse, and if the dose be large 

 excites nausea, vomiting and purging with great prostration. In 

 the horse I have found anorexia, irritability of the bowels, and 

 frequent retching. The action is primarily on the heart and 

 nervous system and incidentally as an irritant on the gastro- 

 intestinal mucosa. Treatment consists in evacuation of the 

 stomach and the free use of mucilaginous drinks and diffusible 

 stimulants. Helleborus Niger, viridus and foetidus have analo- 

 gous effects. 



POISONING BY CICUTA MACULATA. 



The American water hemlock is an energetic poison acting not 

 only as a narcotic but as a violent irritant to the gastro-intestinal 

 mucus membrane. 



POISONING BY COLCHICUM AUTUMNALE. 



This agent expends its energy mainly on the digestive and 

 urinary systems. The symptoms are suppression of appetite and 

 rumination, thirst, ptyalism, grinding of the teeth, colic, emesis 

 in vomiting animals, profuse, watery foetid and often bloody 

 diarrhoea, the frequent passage of a clear urine, abortion in preg- 

 nant females, with short difficult breathing, weak pulse, pale 

 mucosse, coldness of the extremeties, trembling, muscular weak- 

 ness, sunken eyes, dilated pupils, spasms and death. The activity 

 of the plant is greatest in July and August. On post mortem 

 examination the ga.stric and intestinal mucosa are violently 

 congested and the lumen of the bowel filled with a thin bloody 

 mucus. Congestion of the kidneys and bladder is usually present. 



Treatment. Evacuation of the stomach, and abundance of 

 demulcents. 

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