Yew Poisoning. 



23? 



5. The bottle, labelled with the necessary particulars, should 

 be enclosed in an envelope of stout paper, which should be 

 secured with the official seal. 



6. The reserved portion should be kept in a cool dark place 

 pending its production in Court in the event of proceedings, 

 being taken, and if directed by the Court to be referred to the 

 Commissioners of Inland Revenue it should be carefully packed 

 in order to ensure its safe transmission to the Government 

 Laboratory. 



Yew Poisoning. 



Considerable uncertainty exists as to the nature of the 

 poisonous constituent of the leaves of the yew, and the Board 

 of Agriculture accordingly made arrangements with the Prin- 

 cipal Chemist of the Government Laboratory, who undertook 

 to carry out experiments to determine its nature more exactly. 

 The results of this enquiry have been published in the 

 Transactions of tJie Chemical Society, and the following par- 

 ticulars, which are of more immediate interest to stock owners,, 

 are summarised from that source.* 



That, under certain circumstances, the leaves and fruit of the 

 yew tree may be poisonous has long been known. Many 

 instances, however, have been recorded in which no fatal result 

 has followed from eating the leaves, and hence it has been 

 alleged that the leaves vary in toxic character with the period 

 of the year, or are different in different years, and that certain 

 animals are immune to the poison. It has also been alleged 

 that the leaves from the male tree only are poisonous, leaves 

 from the female tree being innocuous. It has been stated by 

 some that only the young green shoots contain the poison ; by 

 others, that the fresh green leaves have no fatal effect on cattle,, 

 but are poisonous when dry. It appears that the lower branches, 

 of yew trees in parks and grounds are constantly cropped 

 by cattle without any ill effects. As regards the fruit, it is 

 generally believed that the outer fleshy pulp is not poisonous,, 

 whilst the true seed contains a poison and is very dangerous. 



* Taxine, — By T. E. Thorpe, C.B., F.R.S., and George Stubbs, Trans. Chemical- 

 Society, 1902, vol. 81, p. 874. 



