Part 50

The symptoms are profuse watery diarrhœa with tenesmus, congested mucosæ, rapidly increasing weakness and small pulse, becoming imperceptible.

The lesions are violent congestion of the mucosa of stomach and intestines, concentrated very largely on the cæcum and colon.

Treatment consists in abundance of mucilaginous liquids, which the animal readily drinks, and washing out the stomach with the stomach tube or pump. Opiates may be demanded to calm the pain.

POISONING BY EUPHORBIA.

In Europe euphorbia lathyris has been found to produce in animals, colic, constipation, tympany, followed by bloody diarrhœa, stupor and hæmaturia. In America the euphorbia corollata (large flowering spurge) and euphorbia ipecacuanhæ (ipecacuanha spurge) though less potent have a similar action. Treatment consists in favoring elimination by emesis, and abundant mucilaginous and demulcent agents.

POISONING BY BOX LEAVES.

The leaves of buxus sempervirens, used as a border in gardens, contains an acrid principle. After eating 1½ lb. a horse had colic, tympany and enteritis. After death the lesions of gastro-enteritis were found (Weiss). Treatment would be by stomach pump, laxatives, demulcents and anodynes.

POISONING BY DAFFODILS. (NARCISSUS POETICUS, AND NARCISSUS PSEUDO NARCISSUS).

These common denizens of gardens produce intense gastro-enteritis, profuse diarrhœa, spasms, stupor and weakness. Treatment will not differ materially from that advised in box poisoning.

POISONING BY RANUNCULUS.

The ranunculus acris (tall crowfoot), repens (creeping crowfoot), sceleratus (cursed crowfoot), and bulbosus (butter cup), are all more or less acrid and liable to produce gastro-enteritis when taken in quantity. They are usually avoided by animals but will sometimes be taken by accident with other vegetation. Sheep are said to eat ranunculus bulbosus with impunity (Daubenton). Both cattle and sheep suffered from the other species (Delafond, Lipp, Brugnone, Delplanque). There were salivation, colic, emesis in vomiting animals, diarrhœa, vertigo, spasms, grinding of the teeth, arched back and staring coat. Treatment would be emesis or the stomach pump when available, mucilaginous drinks and enemata. Johnson (Medical Botany of North America) had a herd of cows abort for years on a field thickly set with ranunculus acris, but which ceased to abort when removed to a field from which this weed was absent.

POISONING BY VERATRUM. VIRIDE. AMERICAN HELEBORE.

Used in the early days by New England farmers to destroy birds in the cornfields (Osgood). Taken internally it reduces the fullness and frequency of the pulse, and if the dose be large excites nausea, vomiting and purging with great prostration. In the horse I have found anorexia, irritability of the bowels, and frequent retching. The action is primarily on the heart and nervous system and incidentally as an irritant on the gastro-intestinal mucosa. Treatment consists in evacuation of the stomach and the free use of mucilaginous drinks and diffusible stimulants. Helleborus Niger, viridus and fœtidus have analogous effects.

POISONING BY CICUTA MACULATA.

The American water hemlock is an energetic poison acting not only as a narcotic but as a violent irritant to the gastro-intestinal mucus membrane.

POISONING BY COLCHICUM AUTUMNALE.

This agent expends its energy mainly on the digestive and urinary systems. The symptoms are suppression of appetite and rumination, thirst, ptyalism, grinding of the teeth, colic, emesis in vomiting animals, profuse, watery fœtid and often bloody diarrhœa, the frequent passage of a clear urine, abortion in pregnant females, with short difficult breathing, weak pulse, pale mucosæ, coldness of the extremities, trembling, muscular weakness, sunken eyes, dilated pupils, spasms and death. The activity of the plant is greatest in July and August. On post mortem examination the gastric and intestinal mucosa are violently congested and the lumen of the bowel filled with a thin bloody mucus. Congestion of the kidneys and bladder is usually present.

Treatment. Evacuation of the stomach, and abundance of demulcents.

POISONING BY SAVIN.

The tops of the juniperus sabina when powdered and given to dogs produce violent colic, vomiting, bloody fæces and urine, spasms, paralysis, and death, with lesions of gastro-intestinal and uro-genital inflammation. In cattle and sheep they caused tympany, anorexia, colic, hyperthermia, and constipation followed by a bloody diarrhœa. Horses took 4, 8 and even 12 ozs. twice daily for eight days without any ill effect (Sick).

Treatment. Evacuate the stomach and give demulcents.

OTHER VEGETABLE IRRITANTS.

List of gastro-intestinal irritants. Common Symptoms. General treatment: emesis, stomach pump, diluents, demulcents, laxatives, enemata, anodynes, antiseptics, tannic acid. Prevention.

Among vegetables which produce more or less disturbance of the digestion, or congestion of the digestive organs Cadeac names the following: =Acorns= in horses (Morton); =tares=; =bird’s trefoil= (lotus corniculatus, Colin); =vetches= at ripening (Gerlach); =laburnum= (cytissus) horse and ox (Cornevin); =hybrid= and =sweet trefoil= (Pilz); =officinal melilot= (Carrey); the =field poppy=, =digitalis= and =snapdragon= often mixed with wheat and rye (Cornevin); =conium maculatum=, =cicuta virosa=, =yew leaves=, =lolium temulentum=, and other forms of =ryegrass when ripening=; =chickweed= (stellaria) killed 60 horses in 200 (Semmer); =clematis=, =aconite=, =tobacco=, =male fern=, =aloes=, =horsetail= (equisetum) when full of silica; =mercurialis annua=, =wild radish=, =resinous plants=, =potato tops=, =potatoes in excess, or green= from exposure to the sun; =Œnanthe Crocata= (water dropwort); =giant fennel=, =anemone=, =phytolacca= (poke root); =buckwheat= in flower (Moisant); =St. John’s wort=, various species of =lathyrus=, =rhododendron=, =artichokes= in excess, =spurry seeds=, =galega=, =bryony=, the fruit of =melia azedarach= (in pigs) (Dreux); =nux vomica=, =podophyllum=.

It may be added that the plants credited with causing the “loco” disease (=Astragalus mollissimus=, =Hornii=, and =lentiginosus=, the =oxytropis Lambertii=, =mutifloris= and =deflexa=) cause diarrhœa and sometimes ulceration of the intestines.

The farina of =mustard= is sometimes mixed with linseed cake and (developing the active principles of that agent) produces a severe or even fatal gastro-enteritis in cattle and sheep. The wild mustard of the fields, being allowed to grow with the flax, or rape, the seeds mingle when harvested and thus the cake comes to contain an injurious quantity of the mustard.

Symptoms. These will vary much according to the predominating action of the individual poison on other organs, but when they irritate the gastro-intestinal mucosa they have this in common, that they impair appetite and rumination, produce colicy pains (perhaps salivation and vomiting), and constipation or diarrhœa of varying intensity.

Treatment. Apart from the individual treatment demanded by the special symptoms of disorder of other organs, it may follow the same general line for all: Unload the stomach by tepid water, ipecacuan, with tickling of the soft palate, or by the stomach pump or tube, and follow this by abundance of mucilaginous drinks. In cases attended by constipation a laxative of Glauber salts, or aloes may be demanded, or assiduous mucilaginous injections. With an excess of irritation anodynes may be indicated. When there is tympany and fœtor of the discharges these must be met by non-irritant antiseptics, such as naphthalin or salol. For many of the vegetable poisons tannic acid proves advantageous, being at once an antiferment, and fitted to unite with organic alkaloids, rendering them less soluble and otherwise often changing their properties.