马桑的学名叫毒空木,属马桑科,系落叶灌木,高约三尺,罕有八、九尺者,树皮黄褐色,枝长四出。叶对生,近于无柄,呈卵形或披针卵形,长九分至三寸,先端渐尖,叶脉三出,绿色有光泽。匆状花序,每二至三梗簇集;花小,稍带绿色或红色。果实多肉,圆形,红色,颇美丽,亦有时变为红褐色,其肉质部即由雌花的花瓣变成。本种茎、叶、根皆有毒,果实尤毒。马桑所含的毒性成分,对人类毒性作用的表现,与印度防己毒素相类似,小儿中毒时,多表现为昏迷及惊厥。四川丘陵地带马桑树甚多,农村儿童常因有大量摘食其果实而发生中毒者。1956年12月张、金二氏曾在中华儿科杂志报告一例,并对马桑的毒理作了探讨,鉴于此项病例报告不多,故将所见二例报告如下,以提 Mason’s scientific name is Poisonwood, which belongs to Marsaceae. It is a deciduous shrub. It is about three feet high. It is rare in eight or nine feet. Its bark is brown-brown and has four branches. Leaves opposite, nearly sessile, ovate or lanceolate, nine to three inches long, apex acuminate, veins three, green and shiny. Inflorescences, clustered every two to three; flowers small, slightly greenish or red. The fruit is fleshy, round, red, quite beautiful, and sometimes reddish-brown, and its fleshy part becomes the petals of the female flower. The stems, leaves, and roots of this species are toxic and the fruit is especially toxic. The toxicity of the toxic components contained in the mulberry, the performance of human toxicity, and India, like tetracycline, pediatric poisoning, the performance of coma and convulsions. There are many Marshmallows in the hilly areas of Sichuan Province. Children in rural areas often suffer poisoning due to a large number of fruit picking. In December 1956, Zhang and Jin II reported one case in the Chinese Journal of Pediatrics and discussed the toxicological effects of Marsala. In view of the small number of reported cases, two cases were reported as follows.