Prompted by the many telephone calls and inquiries received at the
Rhode Island Poison Control and Information Centers regarding plants,
flowers, and berries, the State Department of Health has developed
the information contained in this booklet. It will aid families in
planning safe gardens, give fuller knowledge of wild plants, and, in
the case of an accidental ingestion, provide assistance in identifying
the plant. Since verbal descriptions are frequently inadequate, and
nonprofessional determination of species often uncertain, there has
been a need for a more expedient means of identifying plants and their
toxicity.
Because the toxicity of these plants will vary with the size of the
child, the season, and the quantity and part of the plant eaten, it is
necessary that a physician determine the necessary treatment for each
case.
=THIS BOOKLET ENCOURAGES THE EMPTYING OF THE
STOMACH OF A VICTIM BY VOMITING AS A GENERAL
MEASURE IN PREVENTING SERIOUS INJURY.
VOMITING SHOULD NOT BE INDUCED IF THE VICTIM
IS UNCONSCIOUS OR CONVULSING.=
Some basic information is included for physicians who might be unaware
of the toxic principles and their effects in these particular plants.
Although the seriousness of each accident must be judged individually,
it is necessary that the plant be accurately identified and that
sufficient information on its toxicity be readily available. Many
other poisonous plants could have been included in this booklet, but,
the purpose was to discuss those found most commonly, although not
exclusively, in the New England States.
The names and telephone numbers of the Poison Control Centers in the
New England area are included for the convenience of your physician.
(See page 21.)
Cover picture: European bittersweet
_Solanum dulcamara_
(see page 3)