Lead Poisoning. Plumbism. 141 



scarcity of other food at that period of the year is only a partial 

 explanation of the number of deaths occuring at that season. 



Conclusions : 



"ist. There is some poison in "loco weed" which may cause 

 the illness and, if sufficient quantity is taken, the death of an 

 animal. ' ' 



"2d. This poison is contained in the decoction obtained from 

 the plants, and by systematically feeding it to healthy cats, cases 

 of "loco" disease may be produced." 



"3d. Taste for the green "loco weed" may be experiment- 

 ally produced in the jack rabbit." 



4th. From the large quantity of the plant or the decoction 

 required to produce the disease, the poison must be weak, or if 

 strong, it must be in very small amount. 



I,EAD POISONING. PIvUMBISM. 



Physiological action on nervous system. Sources : near smelting furnaces 

 on vegetation ; paints ; paint scrapings in manure and on soils ; lead pack- 

 ing of pumps, engines, etc. ; sheet lead ; bullet spray ; wall paper lead ; 

 leaden water pipes or cisterns ; lead acetate ; painted buckets ; painted silo ; 

 lead compounds in arts. Bxperiments on animals. Accidental poisoning : 

 horse, fever, gray nasal discharge, salivation, convulsions, paralysis, 

 dyspncsa. Cattle, emaciation, dyspoena, palsy, tonic spasm of flexors of 

 limbs, swollen carpus, death in a few months. Young worst. Sheep, 

 lambs paretic. Swine in pens escaped, those at large suffered. Post- 

 mortem ; lead or lead compounds in stomach, or shown by analysis, in 

 gastric contents, liver, spleen, kidney, etc. Tests. Treatment ; hydro- 

 sulphuric or sulphuric acid, sulphate of magnesia or soda, antispadmodics ; 

 in chronic cases, potassium iodide, bitters. 



The physiological action of lead is exerted on the nervous sys- 

 tem, so that lead poisoning may be appropriately enough treated 

 of as a disease of the nervous system. 



Sources. The sources of lead as a ppison for animals are 

 extremely varied. In England in the vicinity of lead mines and 

 smelting furnaces it is deposited from the air in a fine powder, 

 and consumed with the vegetation. Herapath found that the de- 

 posit, in dangerous amount, began half a mile from the chimney 

 of the smelter and extended about half a mile further. 



