TOXICOLOGY 287 
Non-toxic dose. 15 grains. 
15 “ — in solution. 
1-500 solution as drinking water. 
Experiments. (1) June 25,1918,10a.m. Gave fowl 30 grains 
of potassium permanganate. 4.30 p.m. No symptoms noticed. 
June 26, 9 a.m. Fowl died during night. Autopsy notes. Crop 
filled with oats and some water. Dependent portion of crop charred 
and softened. Apparently the mucous membrane was eaten through. 
Submucosa blackened, also skin on lower surface of crop and ad- 
jacent breast. Thick coating of moist black material on lower 
mucosa of crop. Probably remains of permanganate. Several blood 
clots in crop. Remainder of crop mucosa normal. All other organs 
normal. Permanganate had not left crop as far as could be deter- 
mined. Apparently hemorrhage had occurred in subcutaneous tissue 
and blood had been oxidized. 
(2) February 2, 1918, 10 a.m. Gave fowl 15 grains of potas- 
sium permanganate in solution (30 cc. of 3% per cent solution). 
Result. No effect was apparent. 
(3) July 8,2~.m. Gave fowl 15 grains of potassium permanga- 
nate. Result. No effect was apparent. 
(4) June 10,10 a.m. Gave fowl a 1-500 solution of potassium 
permanganate as drinking water. Fowl drank solution freely. July 
1. Fowl drank about 3000 e.c. of above solution in 21 days. No 
other water was given. Result. No effect was apparent. 
ROSE CHAFERS 
Lamson has observed poisoning of chickens due to eating rose 
chafers (Macrodatylus subspinosus). 
When opportunity affords, chickens eat rose chafers ravenously. 
Within an hour after feeding the birds assume a dozing attitude. 
Later, weakness is apparent and death usually occurs within 24 hours. 
Convulsions occur in less than five per cent of the cases. 
At autopsy the crop is usually found to be so full of insects as to 
give the impression that death has been due to “ crop bound” but no 
abnormal condition of other organs is observed. 
Feeding experiments have shown that 15 to 20 rose chafers are 
sufficient to kill a chicken one week old. From 25 to 45 are neces- 
sary to kill a three weeks old chicken. Ten weeks about marks the 
age limit of susceptibility. The damage is not merely mechanical, 
for an extract of crushed rose chafers in distilled water, after filter- 
