MANUAL OF POISONOUS PLANTS 



Poisoning cases among cattle, horses, and sheep in Montana observed dur- 

 ing the season of 1900: 



Nearly every veterinarian has frequent calls to attend cases of poisoning 

 from obscure causes. These can often be traced to plants that occur in the 

 pasture or feed lot. 



Accidental cases of poisoning from such wild plants as jimson weed and 

 others are frequent in the United States, several cases occurring annually from 

 cowbane in Iowa. Statistics in regard to such cases are, however, difficult to 

 obtain. 



H. W. Cattell, as senior coroner physician in Philadelphia, performed 799 

 postmortems, in ISS of which, death was due to poisoning. The poisons used 

 were listed as f oUows : aconite, 1 ; ammonia, 1 ; arsenic, 5 ; carbolic acid, 10 ; 

 chloroform, 1 ; creosote, 1 ; cyanide of potassium, 1 ; hydrocyanic acid, 2 ; il- 

 luminating gas, 12; lead, 1; oil of merbane, 1; opium, 11; oxalic acid, 1; 

 phosphorus, 1; silver nitrate, 1; stramonium, 1; strychnin, 2; sulphuric acid, 1. 



In his work on poisons, Blyth states that the deaths from poisons in 

 England and" Wales during the ten years ending December, 1903, were 11,035. 

 Deaths from laudanum were 1,505; cocaine, 12; atropin, 96; prussic acid and 

 oil of almonds, 328; potassic cyanide, 207; strychnin and nux vomica, 244; 

 aconite, 45; alcohol, 87; petroleum, 23; belladonna, 95; cocain, 12. ■ 



STATUTES ON POISONiNG AND ACTION OF POISON ON DIFFHStfiNT ANIMAI^. 



The statutes do not as a general rule define poisons, but in most of the 

 codes the sale of certain poisonous substances is regulated by law. The fol- 

 lowing extract from the Iowa code illutrates this : Sale regulated of substances 

 under Schedule A. Arsenic and its preparations, corrosive sublimate, white 

 precipitate, red precipitate, biniodide of mercury, cyanide of potassium, hydro- 

 cyanic acid, strychnia and other poisonous vegetable alkaloids and their salts, 

 essential oil of bitter almonds, opium and its preparations, except paregoric 

 and other preparations of opium containing less than two grains to the ounce. 

 Schedule B. Aconite, belladonna, colchicum, conium, nux vomica, henbane, 

 savin, ergot, cotton root, cantharides, creosote, digitalis, and the pharmaceutical 

 preparations, croton oil, chloroform, chloral hydrate, sulphate of zinc, mineral 

 acids, carbolic acid, and oxalic acid. 



Not all poisons act in the same way, some acting more quickly than others. 

 Quality and quantity are prime factors in the results obtained. As an illustrSi,- 

 tion of this fact, we may mention ricin which is obtained from the cas^ 



