Wessington Springs herald. (Wessington Springs, Aurora County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1891, 1885-10-30
POISON TALK.
rnarmacist's Chatter About Deatb,
Dealing Drugs and Antidotes.

SuaCCef About D00khs
Oeaiing Drugs and Antidotes.
The careful druggist " puts
POISONOUS drugs in shelf bottles. He
Aeeps them in the original packages in
tne poison drawer of his prescription
case under lock and key. But where
" druggist makes one error his Gus
tonoers make ten, and yet almost in.
Sarlaoly you will find that mistaken
aoses OF poisons are charged to fault
on the part Of the druggist. Let me
snow You what 1 mean. What would
you call this?"
He produced q pap containing n
white powder.
"Baking-powdcr?"
NO; guess again"
Cream OF Tartar?"
mot any. 1t is arsenic. [ NAV sell =
quantity of arsenic on a doctors pre-
scrlptlon' properly label it and caution
'ne buyer to be careful in it's use, and
yet suffer in my good name THROUGH
having sold it. How? In this way.
The arsenic may be taken out of
the original package, or the label NAV
be lost, and the drug placed
in a cupboard. whence it nav
be carelessly taken and used by mis-
take for baking-powder. The result is
a S OF accidental poisoning. The
first question asked in such cases Isl:
Where was the poison purchased?'
Without knowing the circumstances of
the case at all. t%houghtless people at
once lump to the conclusion that the
mistake was the druggists. MANY a
PHARMACISTS reputation has been
bllghted in this way, and the evil is so
great that our State Association has
advised that our druggists color all
notwithstanding to a formula which
does not interfere with its properties;
before selling it, so that it NAV by no
possibility be taken for anything else.
''Oxalic acid has been taken in n
number of cases for epson salts, which
it somewhat resembles, the crystals of
the acid being much coarser than those
OF the salts. however. When it has
tie n taken by mistake the symptoms,
are unmistakable They are exquisite
pain. violent efforts to vomit. dullness,
languor, debility, and finally death
without a struggle in a very short time
after taking the poison.
There is but little hope with this
poison; but if an antidote be taken at
once it may be effect We. Chalk or
magnesia mixed with water, and adj
ministered in large doses, is the best
that can be usel; but if not to be had
at once whitewash, swallowed in guam
t ties, may serve the purpose of a coun-
teractant.
I'm cases where morphine has been
taken through mistake for ouinine
the symptoms will be that of laudanum
poisoning. in which drowsiness is the
prominent feature. An emetic should
be at ice administered, such as mus
tard-t'our, followed by copious
draught, of warm water, after which
all the attention is to be given to keep
ing the patent awake and in constant
motion. Coffee in large and strong
doses will often promote wakefulness
when other efforts fail.
Corrosive sublimate has been mis-
taken for washing soda, and left about
within tie reach of children: but ar
sen;c captures more victims than all
the others.
''When YOU have poisoned yourself
with arsenic a fetid state of the mouth
will he first noticed. followed by con-
tinual hawking. construction Of the
pharynx and rsophagus or throat,
il ccough, nausea. inflammation of the
lips, tongue and throat. vomiting, thirst
and alterations of heat and icy cold
ness.
The first thing to be done, in case
no emetic be handy, is to thrust a
feather, or even a finger, down your
throat sufficiently to bring about the
desired result. Swallow milk, white
of eggs and water. or flour and water.
Follow this with ferric hydrate. which
is the best antidote known, in quanti-
ties at least twelve times as
| great as the amount of ar
| senic taken. The ant:dote is in
nocent, however, and may be swallowed
in almost any quantity. 1t should be
given in doses of q tablespoonful at a
time for adults, and a teaspoonful for
children, every five or ten minutes."-
Cincinnati Enquirer.