diseases of the digestive organs.

POISONS AND POISONING.By the late V. T. ATKINSON, V. S.,Professor of Veterinary Science, Wisconsin State University, Ex-State Veterinarian,Wisconsin, etc.To clearly define the meaning of the word poison wonld be somewhatdifficult. Even in law the word has never been defined, and when adefinition is attempted we are apt to include either too much or toolittle. The following is perhaps as clear a definition as it is possible togive: " A poison is a substance having an inherent deleterious proj)-erty rendering it capable of destroying life by whatever avenue itfinds access to the system, or it is a substance which, when introducedinto the system or applied externally, injures health or destroys lifeirrespective of mechanical means or thermal changes." The commonconception of a poison is any substance which will destroy life, in smallquantity, excepting such as act by purely mechanical means, as, forexample, powdered glass.THE ACTION OF POISONS.This may be either local, and exerted directly on the tissues withwhich they come in contact, or remote, acting through the circulationor nervous system; or both local and remote action may be exerted bythe same drug. Poisons which act locally generally either destroy bycorrosion the tissues with which they come in contact, or by inhalationset up acute inflammation. When any corrosive agent is taken into thestomach in poisonous quantities a group of symptoms is developedwhich is common to all. The tissues with which the agent comes incontact are destroyed, sloughing andacute inflammation of the surroundingstructures take place; intense pain in the abdomen and death ensue.In a like manner, but with less rapidity, the same result is reachedif the agent used be not of a sufficiently corrosive nature to destroythe tissues, but sufficiently irritating to set up acute inflammation ofthe mucous membrane of the digestive tract. Of the poisons exertinga remote influence, the action is quite different, little or no localeffect being produced upon the digestive organs. The poisons, whenabsorbed and transmitted through the agency of the circulation, exertG3