ZYGADENUS, OR DEATH CAMAS. 21 
drawn forward under her. The muscles of the legs were twitching almost continu- 
ously, and it was with difficulty that she could get up and down. 
On June 20, at 6.30 a. m., there were about 1^ pints of urine which had accumulated 
through the night. This was preserved in alcohol, and a chemical examination 
showed that it contained the alkaloids of Zygadenus. The diarrhea still continued. 
The general condition of the animal was nearly the same as the preceding night, except 
that she appeared a little stronger. She was taken out of the cage and fed alfalfa. 
At 2 p. m. she was somewhat better than in the morning and had an appetite, although 
she still preferred to lie down. At this time she was given 1 gram of diuretin in solu- 
tion. At 7.50 p. m. she was much better, standing in a more normal manner and with 
no noticeable trembling. On June 22 she was turned out, apparently all right. 
On July 15, 1913, the sheep was again kept in for feeding, and on July 16, at 10.30 
a.m., she was given 200 grams of the mature heads of Zygadenus venenosus, consisting of 
pods and seeds, ground and mixed in bran. 
On July 17, at 9.25 a. m., she was fed 270 grams prepared as the day before, and at 
1.25 p. m. she was fed 180 grams. At 7.45 p. m. she was fed 210 grams. At the time of 
the last feeding she showed the effects of the poisoning. She did not move with the 
usual freedom, and there was some twitching of the surface muscles of the body. 
On July 18, at 9.50 a. m., she was fed 235 grams. At 6.30 p. m. she was fed 220 
grams. During the day there was little change in the condition of the animal. 
On July 19, at 7 a.m., the symptoms were much more pronounced than the preceding 
night. There was stiffness of movement of the legs, licking of the lips, and slight 
trembling. This stiffness and accompanying clumsiness were more pronounced in 
the hind legs. At 9 a. m. she was fed 255 grams and at 3 p. m. 195 grams. At this 
time the animal was considerably weaker than in the morning. 
On July 20, at 8.45 a. m., all the Zygadenus given on the preceding day had been 
eaten, and the general condition of the animal was about the same as on the preceding 
night. She moved with some difficulty and with marked stiffness of the legs. There 
was trembling of the surface muscles accompanied by some shaking of the head and 
licking of the lips. She was unusually sensitive to noise, as she was easily startled, 
and at such times there were sudden contractions of the body muscles. She had much 
difficulty in raising her feet sufficiently to get over elevations of 3 or 4 inches. 
On July 21, at 3 p. m., the animal had improved in its general condition, although 
the symptoms were still well marked . These did not differ from those seen earlier in 
the sickness, but were less pronounced. 
On July 22, at 7 a. m., the animal moved about fairly well, but there was some 
trembling of the surface muscles, especially in the shoulders. She improved during 
the day and at 7 p. m. seemed to be quite normal. On July 23, at 7.55 a. m., she 
was turned out to pasture, appearing strong and active and showing no symptoms 
except some slight trembling when handled. 
Sheep No. 160. — This animal (Table I, section F) was a ewe lent by Mr. Ole Birke- 
land on June 20, 1912. On July 19, 1912, she was taken in for feeding with Zygadenus 
venenosus. At 11.05 a. m. her respiration was 28, pulse 26, and temperature 105° F. At 
11.25 a. m. she was drenched with 125 grams of the seed heads of Zygadenus venenosus 
suspended in water. These seed heads included the pods and seeds. At 11.35 a. m. 
there was a little frothing at the mouth. At 11.40 a. m. her respiration was very rapid 
and irregular. It would run as high as 200 per minute for perhaps 50 respirations, 
then stop, only to be resumed at the same rapid rate. At this time the animal had 
vomited. At 12.55 her pulse was 95 and very variable; her temperature was 104° F. 
At 1 p. m. her respiration was 200 or more and the heart action regular and strong. 
She was then given a solution of potassium permanganate. At 1.17 p. m. she was 
getting weaker on her legs. She would start to lie down and nearly fall, but would 
get on her feet after a minute or two and then lie down again. Her respiration was 
about 180 per minute. At 1.30 p. m. her respiration was still rapid, the mucous 
