James L F
Agricultural Research Service, Poisonous Plant Research Laboratory, Logan, UT 84341, USA.
J Nat Toxins. 1999 Feb;8(1):3-26.
Research on poisonous plants was instituted by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) as a result of serious livestock poisoning by plants as the pioneers moved west in the mid-to-late 1800s and early 1900s. Historical records indicate the USDA began poisonous plant research in 1894 under the direction of Mr. V. K. Chestnut, a botanist (Table 1 briefly summarizes those who have directed poisonous plant research from the inception to the present). Mr. Chestnut's responsibility (1894-1904) was primarily administrative, although he did extensive field work in Washington and Montana. Temporary field stations were set up to study specific poisonous plant problems. These included field stations at Hugo and Woodland Park, Colorado, and Imperial, Nebraska (1905-1909), to study locoweed; Gunnison, Colorado (1910-1912), to primarily study larkspur; and Greycliff, Montana (1912-1915), to study the poisonous plants of the Yellowstone Valley. Dr. Rodney True replaced Mr. Chestnut in 1904 and in 1905 hired Dr. C. D. Marsh (1905-1930) to establish the temporary field stations listed above. In 1915 a permanent facility was established at Salina, Utah, under the direction of C. D. Marsh who remained in charge until 1930 when he retired; he was followed by A. B. Clawson until 1937 when Dr. Ward Huffman was placed in charge. Research on poisonous plants was located at the Salina Experiment Station until 1955 when the station was closed and the laboratory moved to the campus of Utah State Agricultural College at Logan, Utah, where it is currently located. Dr. Wayne Binns was hired as the director of the laboratory in 1954 and retired in 1972. In 1972 Dr. Lynn F. James, who joined the PRPL staff in July 1957, was appointed as Research Leader and presently directs the research at the Poisonous Plant Research Laboratory.
19世纪中后期和20世纪初，随着拓荒者向西迁移，植物导致牲畜严重中毒事件频发，美国农业部（USDA）因此开展了有毒植物研究。历史记录显示，美国农业部于1894年在植物学家V. K. 切斯特纳特先生的指导下开始了有毒植物研究（表1简要总结了从研究开始至今负责有毒植物研究的人员）。切斯特纳特先生（1894 - 1904年）的职责主要是行政管理，不过他在华盛顿和蒙大拿州开展了大量实地工作。当时设立了临时野外工作站来研究特定的有毒植物问题。这些工作站包括科罗拉多州雨果和伍德兰公园以及内布拉斯加州帝国的工作站（1905 - 1909年），用于研究疯草；科罗拉多州甘尼森的工作站（1910 - 1912年），主要研究飞燕草；以及蒙大拿州格雷克利夫的工作站（1912 - 1915年），用于研究黄石河谷的有毒植物。1904年，罗德尼·特鲁博士接替了切斯特纳特先生，并于1905年聘请了C. D. 马什博士（1905 - 1930年）来设立上述临时野外工作站。1915年，在C. D. 马什的指导下，犹他州萨利纳建立了一个永久性设施，他一直负责该设施直到1930年退休；之后由A. B. 克劳森接任，直到1937年沃德·赫夫曼博士负责该设施。有毒植物研究工作一直在萨利纳实验站进行，直到1955年该站关闭，实验室迁至犹他州洛根的犹他州立农业学院校园，即目前的所在地。1954年，韦恩·宾斯博士受雇担任实验室主任，并于1972年退休。1972年，1957年7月加入PRPL工作人员队伍的林恩·F. 詹姆斯博士被任命为研究负责人，目前负责有毒植物研究实验室的研究工作。
