SOUTH AFEIGAN PLANTS. 599 



given him sixty grains, after which slight muscular twitchings 

 appeared and he gradually recovered. In addition to the 

 administration of the strychnine, I cut an incision in the large 

 cheek muscle, and locally injected a solution of carbonate of 

 ammonia in spirit, being the only thing that I had. I am 

 decidedly of opinion that the recovery was due to the strychnine. 

 The dose is about five timei as much as the horse would have 

 tolerated under any other circumstances. I can, therefore, 

 recommend Dr. Mueller's treatment as being worthy of a trial.'' 



If the bite has been inflicted on a limb, place a tight tourniquet 

 on it between the wound and the heart, and try to prolong the 

 period of admission of the poison into the blood by taking off 

 the ligature for, say, a oouple of seconds, and then instantly put 

 it on again. Open out the wound with the knife, and freely caute- 

 rise with a red-hot iron or with some strong acid. If strychnine 

 cannot be obtained, give large doses of spirits (brandy or whisky) 

 and water. 



South African Poisonous Plants. 



Those who know South Africa, are aware that on the veldt there 

 are many poisonous plants Colonial-bred horses avoid, but which 

 are readily eaten by imported animals. This most useful form of 

 botanical knowledge has been one of the chief factors in making 

 South African horses the best equine campaigners during the Boer 

 war. A very interesting article has been written on this subject. 

 Tulip grass, or " tulp," is very common in many parts of South 

 Africa, and on one occasion, out of 44 English horses, which 

 belonged to a battery, 16 died from eating it. The symptoms are 

 those of extremely severe and violent, flatulent colic, and the best 

 treatment is immediate puncture of the large intestine with a 

 trocar and cannula, and Professor Dick's old colic drench, which 

 is composed of 2 oz. of turpentine, 2 oz. of laudanum, and a pint 

 of linseed oil. The eating of pepper bush or sterhos, which has a 

 very hot taste, produces in horses severe diarrhoea and abdominal 

 pain, to counteract which give an ounce of chlorodyne in a pint 

 of linseed oil. The chlorodyne may be repeated in half-ounce 

 doses in water, without the oil, which, in the first instance, is 

 useful in removing the cause of the malady. Ink bush, which is 

 a small green shrub, produces such severe inflammation of the 

 stomach and intestines, when eaten, that the animal often dies in 

 from six to twelve hours. No cure has been found for this form 

 of poisoning. 



Strychnine. 



See " Nux Vomica." 



