21 



and the juice ia to be shunned by all not immune to it- caustic 



When in contact with the skin it producee an itching and 



burning that, if not relieved, results in watery blisters, that may run 



;or and lift the epidermis over considerable ai 



Poison Sumac. 



sely related to the poison ivy is another member of the genua 

 Rhus, namely, the poison sumac. In appearance it is very different 

 from the vino above considered, it being between a shrub and a tree. 

 inhabiting swamps and moist woodland. Hie young growth is 



purple or red in early Bpring, and the leaves are long pinnate, with 

 many li ts, 8 inewhat like BOme oi the harmless sumac- that grow 

 in the open, dry land. 



Thi- - of Rhus, often called "poison dogwood,'" "poison 



r" and "poison wood.*' in different localities, is widespread 

 throughout the Eastern United states, and is the leading venomous 

 plant in this country. It produces the same burning Bensation and 

 I the skin as the " vine," and to many persons it is more 

 :s than the latter. The exact cause of the ill effects of tin- 

 plant has been a matter of much conjecture ; a volatile oil or acid, a 

 gas or vapor, and even bacteria, have been assigned as the source of 

 the violent irritation. It has been demonstrated within the past 

 three years that the p I non-volatile oil. now named toxi- 



codendrol. It i - all parts of the tree, is insoluble in water. 



but is quickly diss tlved by alcohol and saponified by alkalies. The 

 ated oil has been experimented with and its effects as to quantity 

 and time of action studied by competent persons, who claim that 

 weak alcohol (fifty per cent.;, to which BUgar of lead has been 

 added to saturation, is the best remedy yet discovered. The fluid 

 rubbed frequently upon the affected parts, when the 

 itchine subsides and the blis: spreading. 



A knowledge of the nature of the poisonous element renders 

 rational methods of treatment possible and confirms the reasonable- 

 e of those that have been in vogue. Since the writer 

 was a small b- been a remedy, and he has some- 



times carried a cake of a hard var bag 



hands and face at some pool or stream while upon 1 trips in 



ivy-infested regions. The alkali of • effective agent. 



A friend who is quite susceptible to the poison i. 



