52 Poisoning of Cattle by "Java" Beans, [april, 



improbable that it occurs in other countries of South America. 

 The fungus was observed to be most destructive to plants sown 

 on damp ground, and in such spots many old fully-grown lucerne 

 plants were killed. In these cases " galls " much warted or 

 coralloid externally, and often reaching the size of a tolerably 

 large apple, had been formed in considerable numbers on the 

 crown of the root. These "galls " closely resembled externally 

 those found on the roots of alder. 



In 1902 the disease was reported from Colmar, in Alsace, 

 Germany, where it occurred destructively on cultivated lucerne. 

 It is now reported as being not uncommon in Alsace, and in 

 certain localities in Switzerland, and it has quite lately been 

 observed in Italy. 



In connection with the cases of poisoning by " Java " beans 



which were reported in the previous issue of this Journal, 



Professor McCall, of Glasgow Veterinar}' 



^^j^PJi^'^F College, carried out some experiments with 



Cattle by f r , 1 , , 



"Java" Beans, samples of the bean meal used m one 



case. The material was given to a collie 



dog, a Shorthorn cow, and a black and white cob, with the result 



that they all died, the dog within two hours and the cow and 



horse within one hour of the first appearance of the symptoms. 



A noticeable feature in the experiments was the period of 

 time which elapsed, namely, fifteen or twenty minutes, between 

 the ingestion of the Java meal and the appearance of toxic 

 symptoms. The explanation is that the poison does not exist 

 in the form of free hydrocyanic acid in the beans ; but the 

 elements are there, and on the addition of moisture and heat 

 (both of which are furnished by the stomach) a chemical com- 

 bination occurs resulting in the slow and gradual production and 

 liberation of the deadly poison. 



When these conditions are produced artificially outside the 

 body the formation of the poison goes on gradually for several 

 days. 



It is frequently stated that when the Java meal is boiled the 

 volatile poison is driven off and that the meal can then be used 

 with impunity. In the experiment with the cob, however, the 



