The Chickasha daily express. (Chickasha, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1899-current, 1904-11-08

/ loco does. but is much less violent
Two species of euphorbia are poison
Gus to eat or to handle. The bitter
milky juice when it touches the skin
causes redness, itching. and often
breaking out of pimples and blisters,
while if by any chance the seeds are
taken internally in any quantity, death
may ensue. In certain sections where
the bees resort largely to the blossoms
Of the euphOrbia, the honey is made
unstable, being disagreable to the
taste and mildly poisonous.
Poison ivy. poison oak, and poison
| snmacb. are found over most Of the
country and are perhaps the best
known and most distressing Of the
poisonous plants Of America. Inyestl-
cations recently made show that the
poison IS non-volatile oil, found in
all parts Of the plant Like all oils, 1t
is insoluble in water, and therefore
cannot be washed off the skin with
water alone. Alcohol. however, read
ily removes it, and its effect is de-
stroyed by an alcoholic solution OF
sugar OF lead. Mr. " X. Chestnut, au-
thor of an interesting pamphlet on
poisonous plants Of the United States,
published by the Agricultural Depart
ment, has this TO say about the effect
Of the oil on the skin:
Numerous experiments show con
clusively that the oil produced pre-
clsely the same effect as does the plant
itself. When q very minute amount is
placed upon the skin, Il is gradually
absorbed in the course Of day or so,
and within certain limits the effect is
proportional to the time of contact.
In an experiment performed by the
writer, the oil was applied 70 four
places on the left wrist, and these
were carefully guarded to prevent
spreading. At the end of an hour one
OF the spots ives thor )ughly washed
by successive applications Of alcohol.
In three hours the oil from second
was washed of in the same manner
and the others were cleansed three
hours later. There was little or no
effect on the first; that cG the second
was more marked. but did not equal
that on the last two, which was about
the same in each. The spots were
within an inch of each other, but re-
mained wholly distinct. a fact which
very clearly shows that the affection is
not spread by the blood Subsequent
applications Of an alcoholic solution
of sugar Of lead save speedy and per
menant relief"
The best remedy is 4 saturated solu-
ton Of fifty or seventy-hye per cent.
proof alcohol with powdered sugar Of
lead. The most effective means Of get
ting rid of the poison ivy is by uproot-
ing the plants. This OF course, can
only be practiced by persons not sus-
ceptible 10 the poison. The poison
sumach, also called poison dogwood,
poison elder, cnd poison ash, is tree
rather than vine It is not less dan
gerous than the more common poison
ivy.
Certain buckeye especially tlc rcd
buckeye-are more or less poisonous:
cattle sometimes are killed by eating
the fruit Of the red buckeye The al
lied horse chestnut and Ohio buckeye
are poisonous to some extent, while
on the other hand some Of the CaIifor-
mia Indians use the fruit Of the Cali
fornia buckeye for food. after remoy-
ing the poison by roasting and leach
Ing.
-wo species Of water hemlock-one
fornd from the Atlantic to the Rocky
Mountains. and the other IN the cen
trail region and towasl the Pacific
Coast-are violent poisons. They are
sometimes eaten by cattle and some
times by children, as they have pleas
ant taste and an aromatic odor. The
root and root stock are most violent
poisons
The poison hemlock Is an old world
plant which has become naturallzed in
the United States This is believed
to be the poison that Socrates drank,
and 50 is historically very old.
The black nightshade, known also as
common nlghtshade. is an introduced
weed which is generally distributed
in suitable locations. Cattle occasion.
ally are killed BY eating the plant, but
comparatively few eases are fatal
Forest and Stream