THE ACTION OF POISONS UPON ANIMALS. 
397 
THE ACTION OF POISONS UPON ANIMALS. 
| By L. H. Friedburg, Ph.D., Professor of Chemistry and Toxicology at the 
American Veterinary College, &c. 
With a few exceptions only, the toxic effect of a substance 
greater when it is applied to wounds or hypodermically, 
.an when it is administered per os. The exceptions are : cro- 
»n oil, myronic acid (of mustard) and amygdalin. These ex- 
:ptions are due to the fact that within the alimentary canal 
lisonous substances are split off from the three mentioned 
odies, viz.: from the ist, crotonolic acid; from 2d, ethereal 
ustard oil; from 3d, hydrocyanic or prussic acid, while in 
e hypodermic juices these splittings do not occur. Some 
lations of this difference in hypodermic or internal applica- 
Dn are, for the horse : 
Toxic action of 
^--Y- } 
Strychnin. 
Arsenic. 
Iodoform . 
Per os 
to 
10.o to 15.0 grammes. 
1.0 grammes. 
(per Kilo, of body.) 
Hypodermically 
2.0 grammes. 
0.5 
(per Kilo, of body.) 
The action of the poison is always most severe in case of 
5 injection into the trachea, the peritoneum or intravenous. 
Disons do not by any means affect the different classes alike, 
id nothing is more erroneous than to draw conclusions in 
gard to the action of a poison upon man according to ex- 
iriments performed upon animals. The position which the 
ganism holds in the animal kingdom is all important. The 
bbit tolerates more morphin than man, who is about fifty 
lies heavier. The goat remains perfectly healthy after 
)ses of lead, nicotin, cytisin, etc., which would fatally 
)ison man. Dogs can partake of amygdalin without being 
jured, while it is fatal to rabbits. The hedgehog delights 
doses of cantharides which would kill several people un- 
‘r agonizing pain; he is not killed by the bite of the most 
lisonous snake. The toad is almost non-sensitive to poison 
Dm digitalis, towards which the frog shows great sensitive. 
; ss. Our strongest cardiac poisons are without action upon 
