The Portland daily press., 1895-05-23
POISON PLANTS S.
Discoveries About Some Which Have been
Upsuspected Hitherto.
Washington Star.)

The fatal adventure that befel some
boys the other day who chewed certain
parts OF plants which they thought were
dandelions fwas an incident of kind
most unfortunately common. Only two
years ago five school children at Tarry-
town, N. Y, ost their lives through in
cautiously eating SO me roots which they
took for sweet flag. In the latter case
it was ascertained by Mr.. Coville, botan-
ist of the Department. of Agriculture,
that the root in question belonged to
the common elder, which previously had
not been suspected of being dangerous.
The Department of Agriculture, a
| writer for The Star is informed, has be-
gun an investigation of the poisonous
plants of the United States, which is
to have special reference to the chemical
and other characteristics of such of them
as are least known. The division of
botany, under Mr.. CoviIle, will try in
cidentally to separate the active princi-
ples of the poisons of these plants and to
| find out to what uses they may he ap-
piled in medicine. 1t is hoped that in
|
remedies may be discovered. The poisons
will be tried on guinea pigs and other
animals for experimental purposes.
| One very important group of poisonous
plants, corceining the toxic properties
of which very little has been known un-
til recently, includes cert ain laurels and
rhododendrons. In 1890 many cases of
poisoning occurred in Philadelphia,
which were traced to certain honey and
to the eating of the flesh of ruffed
grouse. 1t was proved that the grouse
had fed on the buds of the broad-leaved
laurel, and it was more than suspected
that the honey was derived by bees from
the blossoms of the same tree. Several
deaths occurred at this time from the
cause mentioned, SO that the sale of
ruffed grouse was prohibited IN the
markets of the Quaker city.
been analyzed hy a Dutch scientist
named Piugge and by an American
| named Lasche, who have obtained from
it the same poison RS that which Gharac
terizes the rhododendron of the Black
sea. From this rhododendron comes the
honey which is called by the Persians
"deli kal," or mad honey" The honey
of the region of the Black sea has been
known for thousands of years as possess
ing toxic properties. 1t is found chiefly
in Ire biZond, and is used there for medi-
cine and also to increase the Intoxicating
effects of liquor. For the latter purpose
it is sold in Copstantinople. In large
quantities it is very dangerous.
During the historic retreat of the ten
thousand, of which Xenophon wrote,
the soldiers encamped in Trebizond and
found wild honey in abundance. They
partook of it freely, and it made them
very sick. Even dogs that ate it suffered
ffom severe ~ fnptoms. The rhododendron
was suspected at the time of being at the
bottom of the mischief. Plugge has
made general and comprehensive in
vestigaton of this group of ericaceousn
plants, Thich includes the 1aures and
rhododefttrons, and he finds that half of
them are poisonous. Lambs and young
cattle eat them in winter for lack of
other green food and died. The so-called
Slam bllill" is one of the laurels The
trailing ar,lbtus is of the same family,
the broad-leaved laurel, the narrow
Ieayed laurel and also in the mountain
laurel, which is q 1aIge-leaved rhododen-
dIon.
Deer feed on these plants with impuni-
tY and likewise the ruffed grouse. Thus
it comes about that the flesh of ruffed
grouse often poisons people. Dogs fed
on the intestines of deer that have eaten
the plants are poisoned. The toxic agent
| acts upon the respiratory centers, inter-
fering with the breathing, and in severe
cases stopping il altoghether. No anti
dote is known. 1t is only possible to try
and control the symptoms. A smudge
made of the leaves of the mountain
laurel, for the purpose of keeping off ill.,
sects, has been known to cause poison
ing.