The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1875-06-19


some milk which she had taken q few hour
before. A mustard poultiee was applied
and a mixture Of ginger, csmphor.water
and soda. was administered, but was at ono
rejected by the stomach. As the pain continued
and an accident was feared, the Doctor CAV
the'lady BY podermically five minims of Ma
gendie's solution Of morphia. This snul
dose was used because the patient was yery
susceptible to the influence OF all medicines
He stated the dose employ ed 1--WE minimS) tt
the lady aud her husband because of BIZ
intention to repeat the injection if she wa:
not relieved, I; He noticed some edems
about the: lady's face, which the hus.
band ascribed 10 the retching and
vomiting. He has since learned from
the family that she wss kept awake the
whole of the previous Thursday night by
pain Ia the head. In about twenty minutes
after the hypodermic administration she ex.
pressed herself relieved from the pain, and
the Doctor left, after directing mixture oil
giuger, soda, and few drops of chloroform
to be obtained and given if the pains re.
turned. At II O'Clock that night DR.. Nc.
Guire was again sent for to see this lady,
but being out of the way he did not gel
there until q O'Clock, when he found her
dead.
THE HUSBANDS ACCOUNT. :#:
7 Dr.. Mcclure said be " obtained the follow.
ligent gentieman) and others In attendance
upon her. For probably threequarters oil
an hour after be left the patient remained so
quiet that her husband thought ber asleep.
At'the end of this time she moved, and he
spoke to her. Sac said she bad not been
asleep, but felt so quiet and composed that
she was content to keep still. The Doctor
was under the impression that her
husband supposed she had slept, but
was unconscious of it. She complained
of her head, and asked for. some bay
rum to bathe it with; she talked to her hus-
band about other things, and at last begged
him 10 get pillow and lie down; that there
was no necessity for his sitting up any longer
with her. Probably about twenty minutes
after this be was aroused by her stertorOns
breathing; when he got to her be found her
In semi.comatose condition, from which he
aroused her with difficulty. When she
awoke she was frightened, complained of
her head, aud was trembling violently !;
said She could not hold herself still,
and Immediately after this had'a con-
yulsiou, AS soon as the conruls;on
ceased the husband left her to sum.
mon the servants, and send for DR..
Mcclure and any physicians in the neigh
borhood. When he returned he found her
and with stertorouS breathing.
Soon after this DR.. Charles Macgill arrived.
Although in q semi.comatose condition she
was sufficiently aroused when he came in to
recognize and speak to him. DR.. Macgil
oaye her an enama of asSa!Gtida, 81. which
was quickly obtained from druggist in the
he also gave her aromatic
spirits Of ammonia. 10 short time after
this was done another cOnyulsion came on
much more violent and of longer duration
than the first. The muscles OF her face, and
trunk, and limbs, violently contracted; there
was for time some opisthotonos. Her res.
niration was broken and stertorous. Foam
issued from her mouth, and along with it blood
from the lacerations of her cheek and tongue.
The muscular rigidty was succeeded by
Jerking of limbs and face. This conyulSion
was followed by coma. Soon after this DR..
J. S, Wexford arrived, when, ut his instance,
the ounce of assatntida was repeated, and as
soon as it could be cotton an injection made
of a solution of caffeine. A solution of afro
pia was sent for, but arrived after the lady's
destb, When DR.. Welford arrived both
pupils were contracted. A short time be-
lore death one pupil dilated, the other re-
naming contracted"
OPINION OF DRs. FAIRFAX AND NACGlLL.
DIR. o. Fairfax remarked that he had known
large doses of camphor to produce spasms.
DR.. Charles Macgill stated that he was so.
tisfed, from the symptoms as he saw them IN
the lady whose case has been reported by DR.
Mcclure, that she was laborng under The
effects of morpbia. The pupils were OBJ
liberated to pin-polnts."
DIR. wELLFoRD's STATEMENT.
"Dr. J. S. Wexford stated that be con-
sidered the case in every res pect exceptional
When he arrived, short time before her
death. her condition was as follows: Pulse
about seventy, weak, slow, and failing; ster-
torous respiration; inspirations not more
than eight or ten to the minute; coma so
nrofound that she could not be aroused by any
means: pupils contracted to pin.polnts. Tbs,
with the antecedent history furnished him
that she had slept after the Injection, then
aroused, and afterwards fell into comatose
condition, and the convulSions had occurred
with this initial stertorous coma, without any
appeararce OF Gdema in the lower eXtreml'
ties, or apparent Uterine disturbance, ln'
cIned him to the belief that the morPhia,
through some idiosyncrasy, bad caused the
condition in which be found her. On any
other theory she was then moribund, DUG
remembering the apparently hopeless stu.
ations from which some persons are rescued
in opium poisoning be hoped that per-
hans stimulant treatment for few hours
might relieve her. One grain of caffeine wa:
Injected in the left leg, and in few moments
the left pupil dilated. Another grain was
fifteen minutes Afterwards, fpJeclea Id .he
right leg, when, soon afterwards, the rlsh'
eve dilated; but that was attributed 10 tne
relaxation Immediately preceding dssoiu'
ton. A solution of atropia and the gaivanl'
battery were sent for, but before tney were
brought she was dead"
-. oPiUa POISONING.
Tn considering this case, DR.. Welliort
said we are met by difficulties on either
hand, Regarding it as be did, as case o
onium poisoning, the first difficulty IS th'
small quantity of morphia used, which shoult
not he at all dangerous in ordinary clrcum
stances. Still. we know that some ldlosy q
rrasies are remarkably intoleEant OF opiun
in any form and in any dose. Ii The repor
of the Medieo. Chirurgical Society OF Londol
on Hypode-mic Injections We ind two case
of death from, half grain of morpbia, an
one case where one-quaEter, and anothe
where one.third of gain produced symE
toms requiring tine most active treatment
ward of fatal termination and be cite
other cases we'll known to, the profession.
Now, in this case> believing the presens
of this idiosy ncrasy, aggravated by her Ion
con in ement to the house itour months), 81
anxiety relative to. hes condition. the II
creased activity Of all drugs when hypoae
nScaliy used (Arstie states it to be three
teur times as acliEe), be thought that fha
secs of the small dose could be readily a
counted for. Besides, we have rssoras
one death iE man from grains OF opa
by the stomach, when remembering the'rei