Iowa state bystander. [volume] (Des Moines, Iowa) 1894-1916, 1914-05-15
HEMLOCK IS DEADLY.
Water Species Most Poisonous
Plant Of Temperate Zone.

/! Plant Of Temperate Zone.
However, lts rope and Seeds In Hay
VIII Not Harm Cattle, 40 the
Roots Contain Most Of
the Poison.
Washington.-Although the roots OF
the plant known as the water hem.
lock" contain = deadly poison, its
tops and seeds In hay will not harm
cattle, according to scientists Of the
United States department OF agricul-
ture. These scientists, whose special
y 1t is to investigate plants from
which drugs and poisons are taken,
have been compiling data on this
plant, which is one Of the most deadly
known In America. The department
has just issued bulletin (No 6s)
containing comprehensive statement
OF these experiments and entitled
'Cicuta or Water Hemlock."
Besides its scientific name "Cicuta"
and it's more popular name water
hemlock," the plant is known In vari-
Gus localities as "cowbane." wild
parsley" "snakeroot," spotted hem
lock-" "snakeweed" and beaver
poison" In New Mexico it has been
known 40 ..pecos." The plant has
also popular German names, % 1t =
hound In Germany.
The plants grow In wet places such
- swamps and irrigating bitches In
nearly all of our northern and west
srn states. When the root Of the plant
II cut open drops Of an aromatic oil
are seen. These give the root Pc
culiar odor and are popularity thought
70 be the source OF the poison. Tho
poison is indeed in the root, but to
secreted in the form Of resin which
Il distinct from the oil. Although the
poison is most deadly, the fact that 1t
- confined to the roots rather than
extending to the tops and seeds &C
counts for the fact that It causes but
comparatively few deaths. The total
loss from such weeds a. loco" and
~larkspur'' is much greater.
There have been relatively few hui
man beings poisoned by this weed in
America. Most Of those ahiicted have
been children who have been poisoned
In the spring, when the dangerous ele-
ment in the plant seems most active
Cases of such poison are recorded In
Maine, New Hampshire. Massachu-
sets. New York, New Jersey, Pennsyl
vania, South Carolina, Ohio. Kentucky.
Illinois. Indiana, Michigan. Wisconsin.
Minnesota. Iowa, North and South
Dakota, Arizona, Nevada and Utah.
The total number Is vary small, hvs
cases for instance. having been report
ID In one year in Montana, Of which
four were fatal.
Cases Of cattle poisoned IN this
country have besn noted in Washing-
ton, Oregon. Cslifornia. Arizona and
North Dakota Individual ovnsrs Of
sstock have occasionally Lost very
haav1ly. One man IN Oregon est
matsd tho Iosg N his immediate neigh
bofhood for ono year ct tan Per can't
Another estimates the average annual
loss In Oregon It 100 head. The loss
Of 30 head Of cattle and 80 sheep
was reported one year in Montana.
The losses are of course iuconsider-
able. COMPARED with losses from other
causes. qE.E .a..H
It Ii usually assumed that . plant
containing an element having such .
pronouaced effect on the human or.
ganism has useful medicinal proper
ties. Much attention has been given.
to the violent poison OF water hem
lock. II has been known In Europe
since the middle Of the sixteenth cen.
tury and has been tried az 4 remedy
for various diseases with various Of.
fects. In Norway 1t has been used
for govt. It has even been used Al
. poultice for local pains. American
Indians. when tired Of life. are said
to have poisoned themselves with It.
The dangers that accompany its use
may be drawn from the following de-
seription Of the results Of water hem.
lock poisoning: There u arst . pain
particularly In the stomach. but it may
be general in character. Nausea Il
sometimes followed by violent vomit
ing or spasmodic attempts to vomit
without result Dilated pupils, diar
rhea, labored breathing. frothing n
the mouth and crashing Of the teeth
are other symphonic. Convulsions may
be followed By inconsistencies OF
death. The symptoms in the lover
animals are like those In man. except
that they are less marked. Only 4
small quantity Of the poison is nee
essary to produce death with all I'll
attendant agonies. 4.
The symptoms a. described above
are quite different from those pro
duced by the drug plant called hem
lock. with which the ancient Creek
were familiar. A description Of the
death OF Socrates from the Greel
hemlock poison IL given Id great de
tail by Plato. The Greeks used thi.
poison to do away with criminals; Il
was also used by suicides. The
water hemlock" Of more temperate
regions was probably given Its name
merely because It resembled the
Greek plant in being deadly poison
GUS. There Is no actual relation be
tween the two plants.
As patients have usually recovered