23 
VETERINARY TOXICOLOGY.—YEW POISONING. 
By John Gerrard, M.R.C.V.S., Market Deeping. 
Under the above heading I venture to send you a few notes 
on some cases of poisoning which have occurred in this district, 
and also some remarks on poisonous agents. The circum¬ 
stance that scarcely a month passes without some cases being 
recorded, or statements made at variance with each other and 
with what we have been accustomed to regard as ascertained 
facts, induces me to do so; not, however, for the purpose of re¬ 
conciling conflicting statements, hut with the view of furnish¬ 
ing data on which to found definite conclusions on such an im¬ 
portant subject. This, I am persuaded, can only be attained 
by the relating of cases occurring in actual practice. 
Yewpoisoning .—Professor Buckman, in his te Principles of 
Botany/’ as published in the March number of the Veterina¬ 
rian for 1872, p. 179, says, inter alia, that “ he is still in great 
doubt about the poisonous nature of this plant; and that though 
the yew belongs to an active section of plants, yet the stories 
asserted of its powers are to a great extent fabulous; and the 
ill effects ascribed to it may be due to the effects of dry food 
becoming impacted in the stomach instead of being properly 
digested.” These statements seemed strange to me at the time, 
as they were at variance with the opinions generally enter¬ 
tained, but not being in a position to challenge them they 
passed away into forgetfulness until the occurrence of some 
cases lately aroused my attention to the subject. 
An extensive farmer and grazier in this district hired an old 
pasture field from a clergyman at a little distance from his re¬ 
sidence, and placed some cattle therein. The field was adja¬ 
cent to the rectory, and surrounded by a number of small plan¬ 
tations on different sides, from which it was divided by a hedge, 
which in some places was rather thin. About a week before 
the animals were removed from the field it was observed that 
some of them occasionally passed through the hedge into the 
plantation—probably on account of the grass getting scarce 
in the field—but as they seemed to have soon passed back 
again, no notice was taken of the occurrence until the day they 
were to be removed, viz. the 14th of October last. On the 
morning of that day the farmer sent his shepherd to fetch 
them home. They were three-year-old animals, and most of 
them in very good condition—indeed, fit for the market. On 
reaching the field the shepherd found two of them in the 
plantations, but took no notice of it until, having to drive 
