234 DISEASES OF THE DIGESTIVE APPARATUS. 



May and June). Certain kinds of hay may be found containing 

 half their weight of meadow saffron. 



This plant exerts a local inflammatory action (upon the stomach 

 and intestine), and a paralyzing action upon the central nervous 

 system. 



2. Poisoning by Tobacco (^Nicotiana), 



Symptoms. They are regurgitations, nauseas, vomitings, ptyal- 

 ism, colic, tympanites, diarrhea (intestinal tetanus), polyuria. Also 

 great muscular weakness, trembling, falls, with inability to get 

 up again, paralysis, clonic and toxic contractions of the striated 

 muscles, opisthotonos, diaphragmatic spasms, contractions of the 

 muscles of the eye, and protrusion of the pupillary body. Stupor 

 and coma. Accelerated beating of the heart, of a violent and tumul- 

 tuous nature ; chilling of the extremities ; difficult respiration. 



Course. The course is mostly rapid, and the animals succumb 

 in less than a day. When the tobacco has penetrated through the 

 skin the intoxication is subacute, and death may happen within an 

 hour. The convalescence may last from eight to fifteen days. 



Autopsy. We find, generally, hemorrhagic gastro-enteritis 

 (which is absent in endermic poisoning) ; also sub-pleural and sub- 

 peritoneal ecchymoses, etc. The blood is dark and non-coagulated ; 

 and pulmonary and cerebral hyperemia is present. 



Treatment. We give tannin (it precipitates the nicotine). Also 

 stimulants ; black coffee. We perform rumenotomy upon the ox. 



Nicotine, which is an acrid narcotic alkaloid of the tobacco plant, 

 is very dangerous for ruminants. The poisonings may be produced 

 by nicotine baths (in mangy sheep), or lotions made of decoction 

 or infusion of tobacco. The effects of nicotine are especially intense 

 when this factor reaches the organism through the epidermis. Fatal 

 doses of tobacco leaves : for horse and ox, 300 to 500 grammes ; 

 for the goat and the sheep, 30 grammes. The half-withered leaves 

 are the most dangerous. 



3. Poisoning by Yew Leaves [Taxus baocata). 



Symptoms. As usual, we observe weakness, staggering, falls, 

 convulsions ; apoplectiform death from fifteen minutes to an hour. 

 More rarely the disease lasts from several hours to several days ; 

 we then observe symptoms of gastro-enteritis : nauseas, foaming 

 salivation, vomitings, tympanites, constipation, polyuria, stupor, 



