Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1896-09-22
POISONOUS PLANTS.
o apartment Of Agriculture Studying and Glass
lying Those oil United States.

The department Of agriculture ha
started a new investigation write
Rene Bache in the Boston Trans rips
Ii is studying the poisonous plants "a
the United States. and before long i
will publish a big book. telling the PEG
Pile everything they need To know about
such matters. The work will he Illus
trated with pictures OF the most com
mon and dangerous species. SO tina
folks may be taught To avoid them
Incidentally. antidotes will be sue
gested. No small Importance attache'
to this novel plan OF research, mas
much as the number of deaths which
occur annually in this country from
the incautieus eating of such plants j:
very large The victims are most com
monty children, who pluck attractiv'
berries and flowers in woods or by tn
wayside and are always ready to max
a trial OF whatever is casual and III
familiar in the vegetable line.
The methods adopted in the study o
these plants are quite new. To beGil
with, the department obtains from z
newspaper clippings agencies every
thing that is printed about cases O
poisoning. In every practicable in
stance communication is opened witt
the physician who attended hepatient
In this way exact facts are ascertained
and the medical man is requested T.
send a sample of the herb. shrub, o.
what not. responsible for the mischief
or supposed TO he SO, Having received
this. the experts proceed to examine il
carefully. If it is already known t,
them as a poisonous specie. nothing
more is necessary. supposing that i.
is not familiar from this point of view
a special investigation is begun. The
specimen is dried and packed in 6
conical funnel of glass; then alcohol is
poured upon it. The alcohol flow
through the funnel and carries with i,
the active principles of the plant into ?
receptacle beneath. Thus is made what
is called fluid extract.
Now comes the test. With a hypo-
dermic syringe a small quantity o.
fluid is injected beneath the skin of 3
guinea pig or rabbit. If the animal
suffers no i'll effects. it is evident that
the plant under trial is not poisonous.
Perhaps the sickness of the patient
may not have been due to poisoning; OF
the wrong plant has been suspected in
the case This being decided, the in
yestigation stops right there. If. on
the other hand, the guinea pig dies OF
exhibits morbid symptoms, there can
be no question that the plant is dan
gerAus In that event application is
made to the physician for a consider
able quantity of the plant in question.
If possible, the flowers, fruit, leaves.
etc. are all secured. because it often
happens that one part of plant is
harmful while other portions are in
recent.
The convicted plant is now subjected
to chemical study. This is a new
science really, and the processes in
volved are so elaborate that they may
occupy anywhere from three months to
two years. Often the poisonous prin-
ciples are very elusive and hard to
isolate. Some of them are decomposed
by a little heat and transformed into
harmless bodies 1t is a familiar fact.
10y the way, that many dangerous
plants are rendered safe and good by
cooking. The experts expect to dis
cover good many new kinds of
poisons. and for many of these, pre-
sumably, valuable medicinal uses will
be found. There seems to be hardly
any species of poison, vegetable, ami
NAL, or mineral, that is not a remedy
for some disease.
Frequently, of course. a plant CON
tains a number of active principles, and
to separate them out is extremely diff
cult. Take for example the gummy
substance obtained from the white
poppy, and known as opium. This is
most elaborate compound; more than
20 different alkaloids have been got
from it already, and probably it will
yield eventually not less than 100. Ii
will be observed that this investigation
is directed mainly to finding out
properties as yet unknown in an i'm
mense variety of plants, and there is
good reason to expect useful additions
to the pharmacopoeia and to scientific
information. Strange though it seems.
there is hardly a species of plant that