132 VETEEINAEY TOXICOLOGY 



parts of the alimentary canal being often normal. In 

 females there is congestion of the uterus, with a violet 

 colour if abortion has occurred. 



Gamgee similarly remarks that in large doses the plant 

 acts as a narcoto-irritant. Well - authenticated cases of 

 poisoning by this plant are hard to find, and hot very 

 likely to occur in this country. 



Tansy. — Poisoning by tansy has been placed on record 

 recently in the German literature.* The subjects were 

 cattle, and the symptoms included — refusal of food, 

 rumination slow, dung hard, dark, dry, and covered with 

 slime ; shaking movements of head and neck, pulse 

 strong — 64, temperature 38'6° C. ; eyelids half-closed, pupils 

 contracted, and globe of eye flickering ; dulness, staggering 

 gait, and weakness. 



Kobert of Eostock gave it as his opinion that death had 

 resulted from tansy. 



Camphor, — Hertwig states that from ^ to ^ an ounce of 

 camphor proves fatal to the dog, whilst 2 to 4 ounce doses 

 to horses' and cattle, and 2 to 4 drachms to sheep accelerate 

 respiration, heighten sensibility, and occasionally cause 

 convulsions. 



The general effects of camphor recall those of turpentine, 

 causing preliminary stimlilation, with subsequent paralysis 

 of the central nervous system. 



Camphor poisoning is rare, and not very likely to be 

 encountered. Diagnosis is made easy by the elimination of 

 the poison in the exhaled air, to which the familiar odour 

 of the substance is imparted. 



OXALIC ACID. 



Occurrence. — Salts of oxalic acid are found in many 

 plants, notably in rhubarb and sorrel, which contain the 

 acid potassium oxalate. Many plants also contain calcium 

 oxalate deposited in the microscopic quadratic, or envelope- 



* See abstract, Vet. Jl., 1908, p. 375. 



