The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1875-12-18
OTTAWA FREE TEADER: SATURDAY, DECEMBER l., 1875.

/ ing to the age of the patient While this is
probably an exageration. IL is certain that
! where chloral has been habitually resorted
to death has ensued from it. This will be
readily understood when we explain tina,
choral produces heart disease surely. and
without fail 1t IS only within the past few
years that the frequency Of this disease and
the multiplicity of deaths which result from
| 1t, have caused any particular notice. II has
been found that the proportion of deaths from
heart disease is now precisely fourteen times
what il was quarter of century ago. To
what could this enormous increase be attri
buted? Many theories were invented and
many causes assigned, principal among which
was the fast way we lived and the violent
emotions which we found necessary. That
these may have something to do with it can
not be denied, but the real cause of all this
has now been found beyond all peradventure,
| and is nothing more nor less than the uni.
versal use of choral. II has been found that
the drug when administered produces its
effect by interfering with the circulation.
This produces the soothing effect, but as the
blood passes through the heart, Its slow Wis
cous movement partially clogs the vessels
which run through the heart, producing an
effect which, though not noticeable at the
| time, becomes more so as the deposit, having
once been made, more and more is added 10
| it. until the action ceases, and death immed-
lately ensues. In all opium sedatives the
effect is on the brain, and therefore this re-
suit is avoided, while the effect OF chlOroforD
and such anesthetics is too evanescent to
produce such results. 1t may appear Singh.
lar that the danger Of choral has not been
discovered before, but it Is natural enough
,ho,, q FOL Mt concentration fh at the
system always seems to rally so remarkably
after its USE and that such result as affect
ing the heart was never thought Of in connec
ton with it. Nor indeed will many practic-
ing physicians still believe the new discovery
which has, however, gained rapid ground
They persist in using chlOral, and shut their
ewes to what is found to be Its effect Others
are so Mortified at having, innoccntly OF
course, been the cause of the deaths of so
many of their patients, that nothing can now
induce them to employ it, where even the
suffering is greatest, and morphine is gaining
ITS ascendency once more in spite of the de-
leterious effects which almost always follow
Its use.
PHYSICIANS OPINION.
A reporter of the Mercury conversed with
an eminent physician who lives on Seven.
teenth street yesterday, on the subject Of
choral. and asked what he thought of Its
use, He said
az am of opinion that 1t should never be
used except perhaps when life is despsired
of, and 1t can be employed In alternating the
pain of the last moments. Where, however,
it is employed to assuage pain, with an ultl.
nate view to cure, II will probably produce
worse than the original disease. Up to with.
in seven or eight months, have been In the
habit of using chloral in nearly all cases
where / wished to alleviate pain. have 10
doubt that have caused more harm to the
patients than would have been done by the
diseases from which they suffered. Indeed,
several times have been surprised at finding
patients of mine whom had considered quite
healthy in the region of the chest suddenly
suffering from heart disease, and without ever
having any symptoms Of it before. In each
case discovered that |, or that some other
physician, had administered chloral at even
remote dates, and could not but attribate
the disease to its use. One remarkable case
of person who had been suffering for years
from acute rheumatism recall TO mind. He
had had physician who drugged him con.
stantly with choral. When waited on him
he demanded the same, saying il assuaged
his pain so much. l telt his heart and found
its action irregular, and told him would not
prescribe Choral. lie insisted on having it,,
however, against my advice. After he had
takon the dose, 1 again felt his heart and
found its action very slow and irregular.
Suddenly the beating ceased and the heart
remained without movement for fifteen Sc
conds. 1t then resumed its action. Here
was case in which the effect Of the choral
was almost instantaneous. The patient got
well of the rheumatism and died short time
after suddenly Of heart disease, the combined
90 ~, H. IL
doubt. Another case l knew of, the patient
dying OF heartdisease while under the effect
of the choral. There remains not particle
of doubt in my mind that choral attacks the
heart most insldiously, and believe If the
facts could be ascertained, II would be found
that ninety out of q hundred OF the cases OF
death from heart disease have been people
who were in the habit of taking chloral, and
still it will be long time before the use of i,
will die out. Some physicians cling to i,
with wonderful pertinaciiy and deny every.
thing. The Mercury is doing good thing
in letting the public know what a deadly
drug they are unwittingly taking. They
should resist any attempt of physicians to
make them take il. have indeed despaired
of ever finding perfectly safe anesthetic or
hypnotic. l had considered this one, but
find il more dangerous than all the rest put
) together. Nothing could induce me to use
1t again except, as said, in extremis There
are several factories of choral in and around
| New York and this is another danger, that
one preparation is not of the same strength
as the other, and that therefore the physician
is not really aware what dose he is giving,
not being able to know what solutions the
druggist sells."-NeSo York Mercury
Rat-Hunting Snakes.
Some months ago, says The Hamilton (Ont,)
Spectator, gentleman from Duinfries paid a