134 OCCASIONALLY FATAL. 
SPURGE FAMILY—Euphorbiaceae. 
THE CASTOR OIL PLANT, Ricinus communis L., contains 
in its seeds the poison ricin, which remains in the cake 
after the castor oil has been pressed out. These seeds are 
stated to have caused death in man, and Chesnut says 
they have killed horses when eaten accidentally, and that 
sheep have been poisoned with them. “They cause vomit- 
ing, gastric pain, bloody diarrhoea and dullness of vision.” 
(Pammel). An antitoxin has been discovered, after the 
use of which animals may be fed on the castor bean cake 
without injury. 
The plant is ornamental, and is often cultivated. It is 
a smooth, branching annual, five feet or more in height, 
with large, palmately lobed leaves. The large mottled 
seeds are enclosed in the somewhat spiny case. 
SUMAC FAMILY—Anacardiaceae. 
POISON IVY—Rhus Toxicodendron L. 
Other Common Names: Poison-oak, Poison-vine, 
Three-leaved Ivy. 
This plant is a native of eastern North America and 
extends west to Alberta. It is notorious for its extremely 
irritating effect on the skin. It. contains a non-volatile 
oil, toxicodendrol, which, when brought into contact with 
the skin of a susceptible person, causes inflammation and 
swelling, accompanied by intense irritation, and followed 
by vesicles or blisters. The skin breaks and a liquid 
exudes which, on drying, forms crusts or scabs. Pammel 
quotes two reports of death from severe Ivy poisoning 
in the case of children. 
The action is slow, characteristic symptoms appearing 
only after a lapse of eighteen hours or more. Some people 
