56 



MANUAL OF POISONOUS PLANTS 



junctiva causes coagulation in the 

 vessels and a secondary inflamation. 

 The disease is known as Jequirity 

 opthalmia. More details in regard to 

 the poisons of these plants are given 

 under the plants of the families in 

 which they occur. 



Black Locust Poisoning. The 

 Black Locust which is commonly 

 planted as an ornamental tree has 

 in a number of instances caused 

 death. 



Dr. Waldron in the American 

 Veterinary Rewiew, writes thus of 

 locust bark poisoning, referring es- 

 pecially to the beating of the heart 

 of a horse that had been poisoned by 

 the locust bark. This beating shook 

 the horse and could be heard outside 

 the stable. ' 



The sound was caused by the action of 

 the diaphragm. It was greater when the ribs 

 were at their fullest expansion and could be 

 heard most distinctly at a distance of ten feet. 

 I tried to locate or rather find out what pro- 

 duced the sound, but in that I am as ignorant 

 as I was then. ... In questioning where 

 the team was hitched at the mill, it was found 

 that the driver had tied them to a young lo- 

 cust tree that had been cut down a few years 



before. This was a sapling of about four inches in diameter and had probably made a very 



rapid growth and the bark, from this reason was tender and easily peeled- They had done 



a good job of peeling, but as they had their bits in they were not able to swallow much. 



The poison obtained from this bark is, in my opinion, the cause of the trouble. 



Dr. Waldron says that the symptoms otherwise are about the same as 



•thost ticcurring in cases of belladonna poisoning and are about as follows : 



Extreme lassitude, which includes almost imperceptible pulse and which, when found, is 



weak and prolonged; respiration less than normal by one-third and sonorous; temperature 



normal; no pain, no appetite, mucous membrane congested, of a. blue, rusty, or yellow color. 



Mucous membrane of the mouth some swollen, caused by the congestion of the capillaries; 



■slight ptyalism, and above all, the dilation of the pupil of the eye; in fact I should judge, 



we have nearly the same symptoms we get in belladonna poison. 



He also says that he had not known before that locust bark was poisonous 

 and although he had searched for literature upon the subject had found but 

 one reference, that being in the U. S. Pharmacopoeia ,which records a case re- 

 ported in Jan., 1887, when 33 children were said to have been poisoned by chew- 

 ing locust bark. In mild cases there were "flushed faces, dryness of the throat 

 and mouth, and dilation of the pupils. In severe cases, were added epigastric 

 pain, extremely intermittent heartbeats, and stupor." It is evident from the 

 fact that there is not much literature on the subject that such poisoning does 

 not occur often. 



Dr. H. S. Murphy has kindly contributed the following case on locust bark 

 poisoning : 



Anamusis: Gray mare twelve years old, pregnant ten months, has been at light work 



Fig. 16b. Castor oil plant (Ricinus com- 

 munis). The seeds furnish the castor oil of 

 commerce, and also contain an acrid poison. 

 (Chestnut, U. S. Dept. Agr.). 



