790 MANUAL OF POISONOUS PLANTS 



bulk of the oil consists of tanaceton or thujon Cj^^H^gCOH). This oil has 

 been used as an anthelmintic since the middle ages. Tansy is a very poison- 

 ous, producing a condition similar to rabies. From this plant many serious 

 cases of poisoning in the human race occur, but poisoning of animals is very 

 infrequent. It is an irritant narcotic poison. Dr. Millspaugh cites a few cases 

 as follows : 



A young woman had beeii in the habit o£ using tansy tea, made from the herb, at nearly 

 •every menstrual period, for difficult menstruation. On this occasion about two and a half 

 drachms of the oil was poured into half an ordinary tin cupful of water; this, with the excep- 

 tion of a small portion of the water containing about one-half drachm of the oil, was taken 

 at one dose. Convulsions were almost at once produced, and when Dr. Bailey was sent for 

 the patient was unconscious, foaming at the mouth, and in violent tonic spasms, with dilated 

 pupils, frequent and feeble pulse. Constant kneading on the stomach had produced partial 

 emesis, and then ipecac, mustard, and large draughts of hot water, emptied the stomach. Two 

 drachms of magnesia were then given, and a full dose of acetate of morphine; consciousness 

 then returned, no unfavorable symptoms followed, and, after thirty-six hours, without addi- 

 tional medication she was entirely restored. 



A woman took half an ounce of the oil; the most violent rigid kind of clonic spasms oc- 

 ■curred once in about twelve minutes, coming on generally and instantly, and continuing about 

 one minute. They were attended with slight, if any motion of the arms; it might be called a 

 trembling. The arms were peculiarly affected, and invariably in the same way; they were 

 thrown out forward of, and at right angles with, the body; the hands at the wrists bent at 

 right angles with the fore-arm supinated, the points of the fingers nearly in contact, the fingers 

 straight and slightly bent at the metatarso-phalangeal joints. The muscles of respiration were 

 strongly affected during each paroxysm; the air was forced from the chest slowly but steadily, 

 and made a slight hissing noise as it escaped from between the patient's lips. During the in- 

 termission of spasm, the muscles were perfectly flexible, and the transition seemed very sud- 

 den. The jaws were the only exception to this rule ; they were, for the first hour and a 

 quarter, rigidly closed, and were with difficulty opened, but after that they were subjected to 

 the same action as the rest of the body — when the spasms were on they were rigid; when off, 

 they were relaxed. After the patient grew weaker, the spasms were more frequent, but had 

 about the same severity and length. Death ensued in two hours. 



On animals the symptoms are as follows according to a statement con- 

 densed by Dr. Millspaugh : 



Dr. Ely Van DeWarker records cases of the action of the oil upon dogs. In one case 

 two drachms were given, causing salivation, vomiting, dilation of the pupils, muscular twitch- 

 ings, followed by clonic spasms, and a cataleptic condition from which the animal recovered. 

 Recovery also followed a half ounce after the same class of symptoms, but, however, on re- 

 peating the dose, the already poisoned animal was plunged into a long and fatal convulsion. 

 Postmortem examination disclosed the cerebral veins and spinal cord itself highly congested, 

 and serous effusions had taken place in the pia mater. The lungs were found to be engorged, 

 the left heart empty, and the right distended with dark, liquid blood. Congestion of the kid- 

 neys had also taken place, and the bladder was found contracted. 



The safe maximum dose of the oil is indeterminable, a few drops only sometimes prov- 

 ing serious. 



The symptoms occurring in a number of cases of poisonmg and experiments were sub- 

 stantially as follows: Mental confusion, loss of consciousness; vertigo, with cephalalgia, at 

 first contraction, then wide dilation, of the pupils, staring, immovable eye-balls; ringing in the 

 ears; face congested; roughness of the mouth and throat; difficult deglutition; eructations, 

 nausea, free vomiting, and burning of the stomach; sharp colic pains in the abdomen; diarrhoea; 

 constant desire to urinate — urine at first suppressed, then profuse; respiration hurried and 

 laborious; pulse at first high, then very low and irregular; numbness of the extremities; tonic 

 and clonic spasms, and nervous tremblings; drowsiness and cold sweat. Death appears to en- 

 sue from a paralysis of the heart and lungs. 



23. Artemisia L. Wormwood, Sage Brush 



Bitter and aromatic herbs or shrubs with alternate leaves ; heads discoid, 



few or many flowered, collected in panicles, racemes or spikes, with greenish 



or yellow flowers; involucre ovoid or oblong, scales imbricated, the outer 



shorter; receptacle small, naked; marginal flowers pistillate, disk perfect, or 



