CROTALISM. 
343 
grass grew in the greatest abundance, were so thin in iiesh that 
they walked with the greatest difficulty. A critical examination 
of many of these patients revealed nothing more than the condi¬ 
tions resulting from starvation. This was not uniformly the case. 
In a number of instances there was marked coma or stupor, the 
animal often falling asleep while eating. In some instances the 
animals would remain standing for a whole week, sleeping much 
of the time with head resting against some object. In a few in¬ 
stances the animals were placed at my disposal, and assisted by 
Dr. Fairchild and Dr. Milnes I made post mortem examinations of 
five subjects with the most perfect uniformity as to the lesions 
presented. In every instance there was marked haemorrhagic 
effusions into the fourth ventricle, the liver and spleen were ab¬ 
normally dense, the walls of the intestines were almost destitute 
of blood, and the stomach enormously distended with undigested 
food. The stomach with its contents in some instances, weighed 
as much as seventy pounds. These post mortem conditions, to¬ 
gether with the clinical symptoms, led me to believe the animals 
were obtaining some poisonous principle with their food. The 
symptoms in some cases bore such a resemblance to those produced 
by eating Astragalus Mollississimus , or loco plant of the Western 
plains, as to direcc my investigations to that family of plants. A 
careful examination of the meadow and pasture lands was not re¬ 
warded by the discovery of a single loco plant. 
It took but little investigation, however, to find a closely re¬ 
lated plant growing in great abundance, both in the meadows and 
pasture. This was the Crotalaria Sagettalis , or rattle box. This 
is also known as the wild pea, and is accounted by many farmers 
as the best of forage plants. Knowing the bad reputation of some 
of its near relatives I determined to make some experimental tests 
with the plant. I employed a boy to collect about thirty pounds 
of the green plants, which I brought with me on my return to the 
college. I procured a strong young horse, affected with, incurable 
catarrh, and attempted to induce him to eat the plant. This he 
persistently refused to do, though I sharpened his appetite by a 
protracted fast. It is a matter of common observation that animals 
eat it with the greatest relish in localities where it grows. Fail- 
