746 Poisoning of Cattle by "Java" Beans, [march, 



produced in India and elsewhere and obtained from the same 

 plants in a state of more or less careful cultivation and im- 

 ported as ' Rangoon ' or ' Burma ' beans. The Indian beans 

 obtained fiom Phaseolus lunatus occur in two forms: (i) quite 

 white and (2) pink with purple spots. Both these Indian forms 

 have been examined at the Imperial Institute, and the former 

 have been found not to yield any prussic acid, whilst the pink 

 beans marked with purple spots have yielded only traces of the 

 acid and may not be harmful. 



" The white cultivated beans are also produced in Java, and 

 they have been examined by Dr. Treub, of Buitenzorg, who has 

 informed the Director of the Imperial Institute that he has 

 obtained no prussic acid from them. Samples of white Phaseolus 

 lunatus beans, probably of South American origin, purchased 

 in France, have also been examined at the Imperial Institute 

 and found to yield no prussic acid. It seems probable, therefore, 

 that the white beans yielded by the carefully-cultivated variety 

 of Phaseolus lunatus are quite harmless, and so long as trade in 

 this product is confined to this form there seems to be no risk of 

 danger. With regard to the other Indian form with a pink seed 

 coat, marked with purple spots, it is probable that this does not 

 usually yield sufficient prussic acid to be harmful, and the dangers 

 in using it lie in the possibility of more than the usual amount 

 of prussic acid being developed owing to unusual climatic or 

 cultural conditions, and in the chance of the toxic uncultivated 

 forms of the bean being mistaken for this variety and sold in 

 place of it." 



In view of the above conclusions, the Board think that farmers, 

 dairymen, &c, should exercise great caution before using meal 

 made from any but the white form of these beans, while millers, 

 dealers, and middlemen generally should be very careful to see 

 that the beans or bean meal sold by them do not possess any 

 poisonous qualities. 



It may be pointed out that the sale of beans or bean meal 

 possessing poisonous or injurious properties may not only result 

 in the seller being compelled to recoup the purchaser any loss 

 incurred by the consumption of the stuff, but the seller will also 

 be liable to be prosecuted under the Fertilisers and Feeding 

 Stuffs Act, 1893. 



