Evening Republican, Volume 23, Number 88, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 10 April 1920 — Experts Study Ivy Poisoning [ARTICLE]

Experts Study Ivy Poisoning

Seek Best Ways to Avoid Infection and to Eradicate Noxious Plants. iaiUlllTY DOES NOT EXIST Economic Losses From Poisoning Are Very Great and There la Urgent |ieed of Widespread Campaigns to Stamp Out Poisonous Plants. by the United States Department Of Agriculture.) Washington. D. C.—The best ways to avoid Ivy and sumac poisoning, the most practical means of eradicating these noxious plants, and the most approved method of treating cases of such poisoning have been the subjects of an investigation conducted jointly by the United States department of agriculture and the public health service of the United States treasury department. Despite general belief there A good reason for believing that absolute immunity from ivy and sumac poisoning does not exist. Investigators state. They also found that many mm mon methods of treatment are net to be commended. Polson ivy Is sometimes called poison oak. Poison sumac Is also known in various localities as poison dogwood, poison elder, poison ash, thunderwood, and poisonwood. These poisonous plants are widely distributed. While no accurate estimates can be made as to the economic losses resulting from poisoning, the total is . very great, and there Is urgent need for widespread campaigns to eradicate these noxious plants. Handle With Gloves. If one must handle these poisonous plants, gloves, preferably of rubber, should be worn. After the gloves have been removed they should be thoroughly washed with soap and water and rinsed several times. Inasmuch as the clothing which comes In contact with the leaves may be a source of infection for a considerable period, care should be taken in changing the garments, and also the shoes. Many cases of poisoning have resulted merely from contact with exposed clothing. One of the surest and best methods of minimising or preventing infection after the hands, face or other parts of the body have been exposed, is to wash and rinse them repeatedly with an abundance of good kitchen soap and hot water. The poison, after being deposited on the skin, requires some time to penetrate, and if this penetration can be prevented by thoroughly washing, eruption and Irritation will not result While exposed parts should be cleansed tn this manner as soon after exposure as possible. It is worth while to make the attempt even 12 or 20 hours afterwards in the hope that at least a portion of the poison may be removed. A heavy lather should be produced and the washing should be continued several minutes. Severe scrubbing with a brush is not advisable, but several swabs or small compresses of gauze may be used, discardtog each tn turn, so that the poison _ may nnt ha distributed by the cloth. Bathing with alcohol diluted with an equal amount of water is also an effective preventive. Where exposure tom been more general, a bath for the entire body, followed by a change of clothing, is a good preventive measure. The Mir should not be neglected. Bathing, if not accompanied by Sufficient changing of water or rinsing, may yesnlt Id spreading the rash to skin ebyt had not been infected. In cases ghat are at all serious a physician should be consulted. Sugar of Lead Not Recommended. The Investigators call attention to the fret that scores of remedies and prescriptions are more or less in popular favor, but in spite of the claims they assert that no specific treatment Meg poisoning from ivy and sumac is fat" available. Ointments should not tiHod In the sente stage of the disuse. In the later stages, hbwever, awWnt aim! s stringent ointments may be of value in allaying irritation and Wehmfne cure. The extent to which ft is desirable to we solutions of per-

manganate of potash, hyposulphite of soda, sulphate of magnesium (Epsom salts), and other remedies, is also discussed. Sugar of lead, formerly much used, often proves disappointing if applied after inflammation has developed, and the user runs the risk of lead poisoning if this substance is applied extensively. The names “poison oak” and “poison ivy” are used Interchangeably in many localities. The plant generally known as poison oak throughout the Pacific coast occurs as a bush, sometimes four or five feet high, and has leaflets resembling the leaves of the western oak, but it is also found as a vine, and is sometimes called poison ivy. In the east from New Jersey, Delaware and Virginia southward the name "poison oak” is often used to distinguish from the poison ivy vine, a form occurring as a bush with lobed leaflets, a little resembling the leaves of scrub oak. Westward from Minnesota, Nebraska, and Arkansas to Washington. Montana, Colorado and New Mexico, this name is applied to a low bush or trailing shrub which does not climb. The leaves of all forms have stout rather lopg stems, bearing three leaflets, two of which are opposite, and short stalked, while the third has a long stalk. The leaflets are from one to four inches long, dark green on the upper surface, lighter (sometimes with a velvety covering of fine hairs) underneath, with smooth or somewhat indented margins. In the eastern states and westward as far as Wyoming to Texas, the Virginia creeper is found generally in the same location as poison Ivy vine, "which It resembles somewhat In its habits and the shape of Its leaflets, but it can be readily distinguished from poison Ivy in that its leaves are divided into three to five leaflets to the stalk. Moreover, though it is sometimes supported by aerial rootlets, like poison ivy, it also has numerous tendrils like those of the grape vlne,andttsln* edible fruits are blue, with red stems, and contain two or three seeds. Poison sumac grows in moist ground, usually in swamps or along low, miry banks of streams and ponds. It occurs from New England to Florida, and westward to Minnesota, Arkansas and Louisiana. The poison sumac leaves

are readily distinguished from the harmless sumac and species of ash, elder and other shrubs and trees having a somewhat similar foliage, and the character, appearance and color of the fruits furnish other simple means of Identification. Furthermore, the poison sumac occurs on moist or swampy land, and in drier locations Is found only along the borders of swamps lets Into which the leaves of the harmless sumacs are divided from 9 to 21 and 31, while thgpoisonsumac leaves divide into 7 to 13 leaflets. While many persons ate of the opinion that contact with these plants is not necessary to produce poisoning, it is probable that many cases supposed to have originated in this way have actually been due to direct or indirect contact. There are cases on record showing that the smoke from burning plants will give rise to Irritation, and in some cases severe poisoning has resulted from this form of exposure. Regarding the popular belief that some persons are wholly immune, the investigators state that there is good reason to believe absolute immunity does not exist, although it is recognized that some persons are much less susceptible than others. How to Eradicate Polaonous Plants. Eradication of these plants should be widely undertaken and + followed up systematically. Every landowner should feel a measure of responsibility In this matter. The simplest method is by grubbing. In which care should be taken to cover the hands properly, and also to prevent infection by means of the clothing. The plants in fields may be destroyed by plowing them up and putting in cultivated crops. Often repeated mowing is also effective. The use of kerosene is recommended where Injury to other plants or trees Is not to be feared. It may be applied with a sprinkler or a spraying pump, and In many case one application Is sufficient. Arsenate of soda has been used very successfully to kill poison Ivy on trees six to ten Inches in diameter without injury to the trees, as well as on stone walls, buildings, and along fences.