138 
POISONING BY SAVIN. 
“King’s Parade, Cambridge; Jan . 7th, 1860. 
cc Sir, —Upon a careful analysis of the horse’s viscera you 
sent me, I can find no traces of any mineral poison. I have 
tried all the various tests for arsenic, sublimate and anti¬ 
mony, but can obtain no traces of either. I have, however, 
obtained a very acrid vegetable poison, which I have no 
doubt was the cause of death. A grain or two was suffi¬ 
cient to destroy a cat, with all the symptoms described in 
your letter. The post-mortem appearances also corresponded 
with those of the horse. 
“ I should judge, from the appearance of the horse’s 
stomach and intestines, that the poison is of an acrid-narcotic 
nature , but, from the decomposed state of the tissues, it is 
quite impossible to say what the poison is ; indeed, very 
few vegetable poisons can be defined after being absorbed 
into the system. 
“ The post-mortem appearances and symptoms are almost 
conclusive in themselves. 
“ I remain, Sir, 
“ Yours truly, 
‘‘Arthur Deck. 
(i Analytical Chemist . 
u To Mr. A. Fuller .” 
[In our last number we stated that the savin, of which 
Mr. Fuller had sent us a specimen, was the variegated leafed 
savin ( Juniperis sabina, foliis variegatis ). At least it resembled 
no other variety we could find in the collection at the Royal 
Botanical Gardens. 
Savin is a powerful stimulant, its action depending on 
the presence of a volatile oil, which is very acrid. We have 
before adverted to the therapeutic influence of this plant 
[see vol. xxviii, p. 401). We may, however, be permitted to 
observe that, although its effects as an emmenagogue appear 
to be well established, it is very commonly resorted to as a 
vermifuge for the lower animals, and serious consequences 
have occasionally resulted from its incautious use. We re¬ 
member to have been consulted several years since, in some 
cases of sudden indisposition of a team of horses belonging 
to an opulent brewer. One of the animals had died after 
a short illness at a distance from home, and the others 
reached home only with the greatest difficulty, in conse¬ 
quence of their prostrated condition. An examination at 
once convinced us that a special cause was in operation, and, 
by the instructions of the owner, the lock was forcibly re- 
