INTRODUCTION
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.
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 bittersweetSolanum dulcamara(see page 3)