POISONING BY COLCHICUM. 
431 
of the malady will be readily understood. These membranes 
might be said to be perfectly scarlet with the inflammation, 
which extended also to the muscular coat of the organs, but 
did not at any part seem to involve the peritoneum. A 
similar appearance, though in a somewhat less degree, was 
also presented at different parts of the intestinal tube; but 
the other organs of the abdomen, even including the kid¬ 
neys—at which, perhaps, the human pathologist will feel 
some surprise—appeared perfectly healthy. The heart, 
however, and especially the pericardium, were considerably 
inflamed. 
Of the five surviving animals, only one now manifested 
any very alarming symptoms. This, the largest and best, 
by the way, of the lot, had seemed amongst the least 
affected when taken up on the previous evening, and had 
even ate a little hay in the night. It is worthy of remark, 
that it was not until some sixteen hours after he had been 
removed from all access to the poison that this animal was 
observed to become seriously affected. One only differ¬ 
ence was observable between the symptoms in his case 
and those in the others; there was no purgation, but, on 
the other hand, excessive diuresis. There is no necessitv 
to enter upon any details of the treatment resorted to; 
suffice it to say, that, although the utmost care and atten¬ 
tion were given to him, he continued to sink, and died on 
the following Wednesday. In the mean time, the more 
slight manifestations of disease in the four remaining ani¬ 
mals have gradually subsided, and I believe they are now 
quite well. 
Having thus hastily glanced at the particulars of these 
cases, it may not be without profit to all of us to inquire how 
occurrences of so serious a nature are most likely to be 
avoided where poisonous vegetables exist in large quantities, 
and it is next to impossible to root them out. For the most 
part, such poisons as grow wild in fields are pretty well 
known to all, the principal ones which interest us, besides 
the colchicum, being the common yew, the foxglove, the 
hemlocks, henbane, and the deadly nightshade. But of 
these I have been surprised to find that the one more par¬ 
ticularly in question is least generally known, and, therefore, 
I may perhaps be excused a short description of it. The 
Colchicum autumnale , or meadow saffron, as it is more com¬ 
monly called, is a plant with a solid, bulb-like rootstock, 
about the size of a walnut,somewhat deeply fixed in the ground. 
Its beautiful purple, crocus-like flowers spring up in the au¬ 
tumn without leaves, forcing themselves readily through the 
