My mother had to visit the emergency room in November, due to a rash she received from the sap of a plant. The day after getting the sap on her hands (and having tried to wash all of it off), she woke up with a swollen face and had trouble even putting on her glasses. Though she had determined the likely identity of the plant, the doctors in the ER were not familiar with that exact species, nor of the proper treatment for her rash.
Thankfully, my mother knew the Latin name of the plant. From that, the doctors were able to use Google to find out about the plant, and how to treat the rash. Thanks Google! While the rash was not pleasant, it was reassuring to know that she was able to get prompt treatment because of an easy method to access so much information. I’m sure the story would have been different 15 years ago.
For details, please see the article that Dean Fosdick of the Associated Press wrote about her experiences, and about poisonous plants in general.
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