600 POISONING. 



Vetch Poisoning. 



There have been many cases of poisoning by the eating of Lathy- 

 rus sativus, and the " dog-tooth " or Riga vetch. As the effects of 

 the poison contained in these two seeds seem to be identical, I shall 

 consider them under one heading. Owing to its cheapness, the 

 Lathyrus sativus is imported in large quantities into England, 

 where it is known as " Indian mutturs '' or " Indian peas." Both 

 of these terms are incorrect ; for it is a vetch, not a pea ; and the 

 Hindustanee word " muttur" signifies pea. In that language, this 

 seed is known as Kussaree dal. It is a good deal smaller than an 

 English pea, and is of a dark grey colour. Its continued consump- 

 tion often causes a form of paralysis in man, not unlike that of 

 kumree (p. 542) in horses. It is used as a food only by the poorest 

 classes in India. In England, it is employed, either whole or as 

 so-called " pea-meal," almost entirely to adulterate horse and cattle 

 food. Astier (see Watts's " Dictionary of the Economic Products 

 of India. ") has shown that the poison in this vetch consists of a 

 volatile liquid alkaloid which can be destroyed by heat. From 

 observations made in India., concerning the effects of this seed on 

 human beings, I have reason to believe that the heat evolved 

 during ordinary cooking is not always sufficient to render this 

 poison inert. Feeding horses on IJ lbs. of boiled Lathyrus 

 sativus, given daily with other food, produced no untoward symp- 

 toms, and it was consequently inferred that boiling the peas 

 destroys the poison, or at all events modifies the action of the 

 active principle or poison contained in them. The effect of this 

 poison appears to be cumulative and proportionate to its amount ; 

 other things being equal. Although in tome cases no injurious 

 result will become developed in, say, three or four months, if the 

 horse be given from 3 to 4 lbs. of this vetch daily. As a test case 

 an old horse was given from 9 to 10 lbs. of the vetches every day 

 for nearly five weeks, and he showed all the symptoms of poisoning 

 at the end of that time. Although paralysis of the hind limbs 

 (pp. 542 and 545) is not uncommon among horses in India; I 

 have never observed it to be complicated by roaring; and am 

 consequently convinced that such cases of paralysis are not due 

 to vetch poisoning. This belief is still further strengthened by 

 the fact that the Lathyrus sativus is rarely, if ever, used in India 

 as a food for horses. 



SYMPTOMS. — The symptoms, which generally come on suddenly, 

 are essentially those of more or less pronounced paralysis, chiefly of 

 the muscles of the limbs and of breathing. Beyond frequency of 



