MOUNTAIN LAUREL, A POISONOUS PLANT. 29 



the intestines throughout showed marked hemorrhagic enteritis. 

 The small intestines contained very little solid matter, but there was 

 some well-formed fecal matter in the ccecnm. The liver was perhaps 

 a trifle pale and the kidneys were slightly injected. The spleen 

 showed no macroscopic change. In none of these cases was it pos- 

 sible to secure the urine for examination, as the bladder was found 

 empty. 



On October 14, 1905, a five-year-old (?) sheep, having a tempera- 

 ture of 101. 8 °F., at 1 :20 p. m. was given 90 grams of fresh laurel leaves 

 ground up and mixed with meal. The ration was practically all 

 eaten at 3 :20 p. m., when the temperature stood at 104° F. At 6 o'clock 

 on the next morning a failure of appetite, together with slobber- 

 ing, was noted. Numerous soft stools were found in the pen during 

 the day. At 10 :12 a. m. increased salivary secretion produced a frothy 

 appearance about the mouth and the sheep held its head low. At 2 :15 

 p. m. slight emesis and marked secretion of nasal mucus occurred ac- 

 companied by a temperature of 103.5° F, Twenty-five hours later 

 the slobbering had ceased, but the appetite had not returned and 

 the temperature stood at 102.9° F. Twenty-two hours later 

 (1:45 p. m., October IT) the temperature was 103.5° F. and the ani- 

 mal seemed normal. The presence in the pen of numerous soft stools 

 was noted. The sheep recovered. 



EFFECT OF MOUNTAIN LAUREL ON RABBITS. 



On February 6, 1905, a rabbit weighing 2,096 grams received 

 hypodermically one drop of aqueous extract of laurel (1 gram of 

 dried leaves in 3.75 c. c. of water). Further administrations were 

 made as follows: February 13, 2 drops; February 21, 3 drops; Feb- 

 ruary 25, 4 drops; February 28, G drops; March 3, 9 drops; March 

 7, 12 drops; March 10, 14 drops; March 22, 20 drops. On the last 

 date evidence of laurel action appeared and a slight loss of appetite 

 was noted. On March 30, 25 drops were administered as before, fol- 

 lowed on April 5 by 30 drops. At this time the animal weighed 

 1,828.5 grams. At 9:49 a. m. the temperature was 100.9° F., the ad- 

 ministration of the extract following three minutes later. The 

 resulting events were as follows: 10:05 a, m., mouth moist: 10:50 

 a. m.., convulsions; 11:15 a. m., could not stand; 11:55 a. m., could 

 sit up in usual posture ; 1 :54 p. m., appeared normal. At 3 :50 p. m. 

 the temperature was 103.3° F. The animal lived about a year after 

 the close of this investigation. 



A rabbit weighing 1,559 grams, which had not received any pre- 

 vious injections, was given hypodermically at 9 :54 a m., April 5, 

 1905, 30 drops of the extract used in the preceding case. The tem- 

 perature five minutes before administration was 100.8° F. The fol- 

 lowing symptoms developed rapidly: After nine minutes, interfer- 

 121— n 



