BY EATING THE COMMON YEW (TAXAS BACCATA). 257 
corticated or peeled off. The contents of the stomachs were normal, 
and contained a due admixture of mucus, with nothing that indi- 
cated a suspension of digestion. In two, the lungs were congested, 
and likewise the muscles of the neck, which exhibited a very in- 
jected state. The viscera, except those before mentioned, were in 
a healthy state. 
The brain was, in two of the bullocks, rather softer than usual, 
and the membranes could with ease be separated. The spinal 
marrow I did not examine, but came to the conclusion, that it was 
not affected, either primarily or secondarily, from there being no 
paraplegia, either complete or incomplete, evinced in any or either 
of them. Had its action begun in the medulla oblongata, rambling 
and paraplegia must have been a result. 
Remarks on the Action of Yew Poison. 
Numerous are the cases afforded in The Veterinarian in 
which yew has been eaten with impunity. Mr. Youatt says, in 
his work on Cattle, in some cases they give cattle yew mixed with 
food, to hasten the fattening process. Mr. Simonds gave yew to 
the horse, mixed with oats, and no ill effect followed ; and nume- 
rous othercases are recorded, in which animals have eaten it without 
the least effect; but from all I have read I draw this conclu- 
sion, — that the action of yew poison, or its influence, is lost on 
animals when they have a liberal supply of food that is well 
charged with albumen, or, in accordance with Liebig’s nomencla- 
ture, “azotized:” such was the case in the experiment made by 
Mr. Simonds, and it is also likely, as recorded by Mr. Youatt. 
When given to fatten animals, it is mixed with food of a fari- 
naceous nature. In theory I advance this, that, as no vegetable 
poison is destitute of nitrogen, a liberal supply of azotized food 
prevents the absorption of its poisonous principle, from there being 
an excess of azotized food in the stomach, which retards its absorp- 
tion, and a sufficient quantity of azotized matter is produced from 
the farina for the oxygen to act on, instead of the animal tissue : 
thus absorption is retarded. On the other hand, animals that are 
feeding on leguminous food, such as the bullocks were, but very 
little azotized matter could be extracted by them in the process of 
digestion for the maintenance of a waste of the tissues from the 
attack of oxygen : consequently, in them, absorption was vigorous; 
and, as soon as the yew entered the stomach, being charged with 
nitrogen, it became a prey for the absorbents, and its poisonous ele- 
ments entered the system. The Duke of Richmond lost two hundred 
deer, during a severe winter, from eating yew. At that season of 
the year they can have only a very scanty supply of vegetable al- 
