POISONOUS PLANTS 255 



PHYTOLACCACE^. 



This order is not found in England, but the Phytolacca 

 decandra is acclimatised in Southern Europe and Africa, 

 but is native to America, where it is known as the poke- 

 weed, garget, or American nightshade. 



It contains a purgative active principle in all parts. 

 Formerly the berries were used to colour wine, a practice 

 which is, however, now generally prohibited on account of 

 possible danger. The effects are those of superpurgation, 

 the extract being stated to be quickly fatal to the dog, 

 whilst in the States cattle have occasionally been fatally 

 poisoned by the leaves. 



POLYGONACE-ffi;. 



Some species of this order are held to be responsible for 

 poisoning, although the records, and our knowledge of the 

 active principles are scarcely such as to give the basis of 

 a well-founded narrative. They include species of Rumex, 

 or dock, of which R. Acetosa, sorrel dock, and R. Acetosella, 

 sheep- sorrel, may be mentioned. These plants are well 

 known to contain oxalates, which may possibly account for 

 the alleged poisonings. They are widely distributed in the 

 north temperate hemisphere. Whilst it is held by some 

 that sheep-sorrel improves the condition of sheep that eat 

 it, others assert that the mature and seeded plant causes 

 poisoning in sheep and horses. 



According to Cornevin, in the horse the chief symptoms 

 include at first a condition recalling drunkenness, marked 

 by vacillating gait, salivation, and cyanosis. Then there 

 are muscular tremors, dilatation of the pupil, relaxation of 

 sphincters, urination, and a feeble, slow, and intermittent 

 pulse. There succeed to these, convulsive contraction of 

 the lips, retraction of the eyeball, accelerated and stertorous 

 breathing, extreme dilatation of the nostrils, tetanic contrac- 

 tions of the muscles of the neck, back, and limbs, abundant 

 sweating, and falling. After a period of extreme exhaustion. 



