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Abstract
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The following case may 'be of interest as it demonstrates, to me at least, the antagonism between belladonna and opium.
Was called in great haste to see a woman a mile out of town. I got there as soon as possible and found the old lady perfectly delirious. Face swollen and flushed; eyes injected and pupils dilated to their fullest extent; would, stagger and fall when she attempted to walk; tongue swollen and could not speak audibly; pulse small and flick ering; was constantly reaching after imaginary objects in the air.
My diagnosis -was, poison by belladonna. I inquired if she had been taking anything, when one of the children said that Dr. Small had been there. This Small is a drunken traveling quack, who is stopping awhile in our town.
I got them to give me the medicine, which made me sure in my diagnosis. She had vomited just before I got there, and had taken the medicine, as near as I could learn, about four hours before. I was preparing to give an emetic when she vomited again. I then gave her one half grain of acetate of morphia, and repeated it every half hour till the pupil began to contract, which it did after the thiid dose.
I then lessened the dose, and continued at longer intervals, till reason was fully restored, which was about fifteen hours after she took the first dose of' morphia...
Language: en |