255 
AN ACCOUNT OF THE POISONING OF FOUR 
BULLOCKS BY EATING THE COMMON 
YEW (TAXUS BACCATA). 
By Mr. R. Read, V.S., Crediton. 
On Tuesday, the 20th of February, 1844, I was requested to 
attend at an off-farm, occupied by Mr. Lee, in order to endeavour 
to ascertain the cause of death in four bullocks that had died in a 
very singular and sudden manner. Conjectures innumerable were 
offered, as to the cause, both by farmers and farriers that had con- 
gregated together on the occasion. 
Before my arrival, two of the animals had been opened ; but 
nothing was found in them to cause their death — it was, therefore, 
considered as a certain fact, that it was inflammation. I called 
the farriers and farmers together, and reasoned with them on the 
bugbear of inflammation in all these animals as a cause of death ; 
and said that no farrier or farmer, let his practice be of thirty years’ 
standing, ever saw four bullocks drop and die so quickly from 
any inflammatory attack; but that they must look for its cause to 
some agency acting as a poison, and whose ultimate effect was on 
the brain. 
I first began to examine the straw, in order to see if any dried 
hemlock, either the conium maculatum or the cicuta virosa, were 
to be found, or any other poisonous plant, as they often are har- 
vested with the sheaves; but nothing of the kind was to be disco- 
vered. I then asked if any savine ( juniperus sabina) or yew 
(taxus baccata) had come within their reach : on mentioning the lat- 
ter, “ Yes,” was the immediate reply, but that it was put out of 
their way. We will examine the straw-yard, was my immediate 
observation : we did so, and many fragments of yew were found. 
I then proceeded to open the stomachs in the presence of all of 
them, and to verify the opinion I first gave, that their death was 
caused by some acro-narcotic vegetable poison, producing symp- 
toms simulating apoplexy. On making an incision into the rumen, 
a strong foetor of yew was exhaled ; and on taking up some of the 
contents of the rumen in the hand, fragments of the yew were di- 
rectly evident to all present. Thus was the cause clearly traced 
to the satisfaction of everyone; but I said, “We will not stop 
here : let us examine the brain, as it is impossible to have symptoms 
so similar to apoplexy without some evident derangement there.” 
I then opened the cranium, when the first thing that struck the 
bystanders was the congested state of its membranes. It was ob- 
