When small quantities only have been taken the closest attention is necessary to discern the symptoms, which simply consist in a little excitement with a slight rise in temperature.
With larger (but not fatal) quantities the first symptom, excitement, is more pronounced and is followed by nausea, and (where possible) vomiting. There is a pronounced slackening of respiration and circulation, the pulse being small, slow, and difficult to perceive, and the movement of the flanks very slow; sensibility is diminished. There is a fall in temperature, the skin and extremities being cold. The head is lowered, the eyes are closed and there is decubitus. In some cases pregnant animals have aborted. In the horse there are muscular tremors and frequent urination. In cattle and sheep rumination is suspended and there is more or less pronounced tympanites, with eructation, nausea, and sometimes vomiting. Pigs bury the head in the litter and sleep, their sleep being interrupted from time to time by nausea and groaning; or the animals rise, stagger about, and lie down again.
With fatal quantities the foregoing symptoms may be followed by coma, with death in two hours or more after the poisoning, but more generally and usually in horses, asses, and mules (but also in cattle) there is no period of coma, the excitement is less pronounced and often unobserved, and death appears very sudden. The animals stop, shake their heads, respiration is modified, there is falling, and death (sometimes with convulsions) results from cessation of the heart’s action (Cornevin).
The symptoms given by Müller are roaring, torpidity, stupefaction, laboured breathing, convulsions and death in from ten minutes to an hour in the worst cases; or where the course of poisoning is slower, there is salivation, nausea, vomiting, bloating, retardation of pulse and respiration, great giddiness and stupefaction, diabetes and hæmaturia.
The rapidity of the poisoning is confirmed by cases noted in the veterinary journals. Lander shows that the effects often only appear in cattle when chewing the cud; whilst quietly chewing, they drop as if shot. In some examples the animal died while eating the plant, or was found to have fallen and died suddenly and without evidence of a struggle. The animal in some cases will stop suddenly whilst working, start blowing and trembling, stagger, fall on its haunches, then on its side, and die quietly. Death occurs in about five minutes with symptoms resembling apoplexy. A colt died after 16 or 17 hours; the plant was taken on a full stomach, but paralysis of the alimentary system with stoppage of digestion immediately ensued.
In the case of pheasants there was acute inflammation of the small intestines (Tegetmeier).
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