408 
Poisonous  Plants. 
( Am.  Jour.  Pharm. 
I     August,  1889. 
Five  more  combustions  were  made  on  the  different  portions,  one 
being  a  lot  of  larger  crystals  that  separated  on  long  standing  from  a 
weaker  solution.  The  results  were  almost  identical  with  the  above 
figures,  thus  proving  the  original  substance  to  contain  but  one  crystal- 
line compound.  The  mean  of  the  six  analyses  was  found  to  be  as 
follows : — 
C,  77*47  per  cent. 
H,  10-93  " 
O,  11-60 
100-00 
No  loss  occurred  on  heating  the  crystals  to  110°  indicating  the 
absence  of  water.  The  compound  is  apparently  a  resin  of  the  formula 
(C18H3102)x,  and  without  medicinal  value. 
It  occurs  to  us  that  it  may  be  a  decomposition  product  of  the  fluor- 
escent glucoside  in  the  drug. 
POISONOUS   PLANTS  AND   THE  SYMPTOMS  THEY 
PKODUCE.1 
By  F.  "W.  Anderson. 
When  horses,  cattle  or  sheep  in  Montana,  die  from  unknown 
causes,  which  have  produced  more  or  less  marked  cerebral  disturbance 
within  a  few  days  or  hours  before  dissolution,  accompanied  by  one  or 
more  minor  symptoms,  they  are  said  to  have  been  "  locoed,"  that  is 
poisoned  by  some  usually  mysterious  unknown  plant.  The  general 
symptoms  are  here  given  in  the  order  they  usually  appear : 
The  animal  wanders  alone,  has  unnaturally  bright  eyes  and  slight 
frothing  at  the  mouth  or  even  extreme  salivation  occurs  and  the 
creature  goes  about  with  a  stream  of  clear  saliva  trickling  from  its 
chin  to  the  ground,  or  else  the  lips  are  dry,  a  little  swollen  and  the 
whole  mouth  very  hot.  The  appetite  becomes  notably  impaired ; 
large  quantities  of  offensive  gas  are  belched  forth  frequently  accom- 
panied by  a  greenish  froth  mixed  with  finely  chewed  food.  The  brain 
now  becomes  plainly  affected,  control  of  limbs  partially  or  wholly 
lost — sometimes  muscles  of  one  side  of  the  neck  are  contracted  in  a 
pitiable  manner.   In  a  few  days,  hours  or  minutes  as  the  case  may  be, 
1  From  the  Botanical  Gazette  ;  condensed  by  G.  M.  Beringer. 
