Citation

Miller R. Arch. Dis. Child. 1928; 3(18): 292-295.

Copyright

(Copyright © 1928, BMJ Publishing Group)

DOI

10.1136/adc.3.18.292

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

"Meta-fuel" is now extensively used to replaced methylated spirit for such purposes as are fulfilled by small spirit lamps and stoves. It asked as an efficient substitute in such circumstances and has the advantage of being a solid substance thus easily portable and especially convenient. It is sold and small lamps and stoves and refills are dispensed in the form of white tablets or cakes. It appears that many who sell this material are ignorant of its composition and nature. Its poisonous properties on ingestion can hardly be too widely known.

The two cases reported in this paper show that meta-fuel when chewed up and swallowed is slowly absorbed from the intestine. Circulating in the blood it acts as a poison to the central nervous system producing drowsiness and convulsions, and in the severity of those symptoms in the first case suggests that with sufficiently large dose to a young child a fatal issue is by no means an impossibility.

Language: en