POISONING.                                 253

they are picked up. If these creepers were poisonous to men and
animals the people would be more careful about polluting water not
far from villages.

Steel records some very interesting cases of wholesale poisoning
of elephants in India by means of the poisonous Nepaul root called
darka (Aconite ?) being given in balls of grain or other delicacies,
of which these animals are fond. In this province I have never heard
of tame or wild elephants being intentionally poisoned. We must
nevertheless be on our guard as such a thing is possible. Many
poisonous drugs are administered by mahouts in the treatment of
elephants ; an overdose might be given through ignorance" or care-
lessness, or by accident. Elephants are very particular as regards
the selection of their food ; still a case of poisoning might occur.
In two cases where animals died rather suddenly, arsenic was
detected in the contents of the stomach by the Chemical Examiner.
I have little doubt that these animals were being treated by the
mahouts with bazaar arsenic, which is often very impure.

The symptoms manifested which might lead us to suspect poison-
ing are that they occur suddenly, generally while an elephant is in
perfect health. As a rule, they arise soon after food has been taken
or medicine administered. If more than one animal is taken ill
after food or medicine and all suffer from similar symptoms,
poisoning may reasonably be suspected.

The poisons we might have to deal with are those employed in
treatment, such as arsenic, opium, belladonna, croton beans or
croton oil, ganja, dhatura, nux vomica, metallic salts.

For the treatment of poisons antidotes are administered ; they
act in two ways, either by mechanically preventing the action of
the poison or counteracting its effect.

                        Poisons and their Antidotes.

POISONS.                     ANTIDOTS.