Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1886-01-16
SOME P0ISONS.
Deadly Drugs and Their Curious Anti
dOteS.
From the Brooklyn Eagle January 9th.

-C0sAsy DHuSS ouu uCAE OoT1VOS AntA
dOtes.
From the Brooklyn Eagle January 9th
Lecturing on the subject of irritant poisons
before a meeting of the Kings County Pharma
ceutical society, DR.. De La Vergne said Thurs
day afternoon:
The smallest amount of sulphuric acid known
to have produced death is one drachm, and re-
coveries have been made after the patient has
taken two ounces. Death may occur in q few
hours or 1t may be delayed days and months
If the acid has been mixed with food or sweet
ened in any other way. Sulphurfc acid turns
the Rsophagus and tissues black, nitric acid
makes them yellow and hydrochloric acid
makes them at first white, then black, so thai
in making a diagnosis it is quite possible te
confuse hydrochlorc with sulphuric acid
Nitric and hydrochluric acids are Of about
equal strength You get with them marked
anna nsv 9sa
with them death is caused by shock as in cases
where limb is crushed or torn of by machin.
oxidizing it and producing the same effect as II
1T were destroyed by fire. Where they are
rtaets New they , act as simple
emetic would hardly act upon a stomach in
which tho tissue Is destroyed, while a
stomach stomach pump may punch hole, SO to speak
the chemical antidote which is might natur.
ally be expected, an alkali, yet you are not to
use ldIge QudHlltleS, as you use large quantities
of belladOna to counterfeit the effects of opium,
because the gases generated from the combina-
tions formed when the alkali meets the acid
therefore diluted alkali. Diluted solutions OF
soda or potash are good and Soapsuds is very
good and very accessible; The alkaline carbon
ates, lime, magnesia, all well diluted are very
seryiceabe. Then the patient must also be
treated for collapse and must be stimulated.
You can't use stimulant by the stomach, be-
cause that is in no condition to dispose of it.
Aichoholic injections are, therefore, to be re-
commended. Now we come to acetic and OK
allie acids. Acetic acid is not often used and is
not likely to be taken by mistake, as it is more
pungent even than vinegar. The symptoms
are the same as in cases of the stronger mineral
acids. OXalic acid is something very easily
obtained. 1t is used to clean boilers, for in
stance, and as there fashions in poisons as
We'll as other things 1t was once quite a fashion
able poison for suicides, but has since been
superseded by more popular drugs 1t causes
burning pain, nausea and depression, with not
so much destruction of tissue as other poisons
mentioned. In treating patient for oXalic
acid poisoning give chalk or carbonate of mag
nesia. but not the stronger alkalis. because they
combine with ii to form salts which are equally
poisonous. The antidOte for acetic acid is the
same as tor oXalic acid. The alkaline poisons
entity. They rapidly combine with the albumi-
nous substances and burn the tissue, making it
soft ,habby and swollen and easily broken down,
the condition differing entirely from that re-
sulting from the acids. Alkaline carbOnates,
such as carbonate Oh soda or carbonate of pot
ash, may cause death in very much the same
the alkali tends TO spread over the tissue. The
symptoms are the same those produced by
aclus, with the exception OF ammonia-pa1n
burning, depression. nausea and death. Am
monia adds the danger of sutfocatiOn to its
other evils. Sometimes it is necessary to
open the windpfpe to relieve the patient.
The antidotes are weak acids, vinegar being
good and dilution OF the vinegar being some
t t,mes Necessary; much ch for the
sulphate of potash has been known to cause
death and dose OF one and one-half ounces OF
cream of tartar has also resulted fatally. Lime
Is very rarely the cause OF poisoning, though
sometimes children try 10 eat slack lime and
caustic corrosive poisoning ensues. Sulphate
OF zinc chloride of zinc, nitrate of silver, sui
phate OF iron chloride OF tin and bicromate of
potash are all poisonous, the latter being power
ful. They all give the same symptoms of cor
roSion. burning pain, thirst, vomiting, purging,
and even collapse and death. For lime salts,
mild acids and mucilaginOus drinks are to be
recommended, and in case of chloride sui
phate OF zine the same treatment is used to
evacuate. For lime and silver combinations
the same also, while protecting the stomach
with milk or flour of starch, mucilage or flax
seed tea. The antidOte for nitrate of silver poi
soning is ordinary table salt. For the vegetable
cathartlcs emui>ive drinks to coat over the in
testInes should be used. Opium is the antidote,
II ii can De called an antidOte; 1t sOothes the
pain and checks the rapid secretion which is
proceeding. Men differ greatly in the quanti-
ties OF Iodine which they can take with safety,
one person being able to stand ten times as
large dose as another. To Some also iodide Of
potassium is very poisonous, while others can
The symptoms OF poisoning by it are nauseous
taste OF iodine in tn throat, tenderness and
pain in the stomach, vomiting and purging.
r Antidotes are starch, which forms the iOdide of
starch. Hour or arrowroOt, and plenty of Them
plnts at lime. If the material vomited is oiEe
keep on giving the starch or flour or arrowroot
until ii becomes coiOrless. Phosphorus is a
powerful poison used in popular preparations
for the destruction of rats, not Rough on Rats,
however, which consists almost entirely of ar
senious acid. PHOSPHORUS is pungent, SO
unpleasant and SO well known that it could
hardly be taken by mistasse. One grain has
produced death and its action is rapid as to
Kill some VINO have taken it within four hours.
1t causes construction, intense pain in the
stomach and marked prostratiOn, the patient
getting weak very rapidly. Death is preceded
by Commissions or spaslns. which are succeeded
10y cOmatOse condition. All the organs OF the
body are softened and the Odor Of phosphorus
Is very prominent With the patient, so that
there is little danger OF MISTAKE. Oil of turpen-
tine II the chemical antido.e for phosphorus,
not pure turpeutine or Canada basam, but
French turpentine or old turpcutine, when has
not been rectihed for years. 1t is supposed that
the impurities in these are their antidotal prop
critics Carbonate of magnesium Is to be used
In the absence OF other things.