Weekly expositor. (Brockway Centre, Mich.) 1882-1894, 1889-12-26
IT Is A DEADLY DRUG.
A Valuable But also an Exceedingly Dan
gerOus Surgical Ally.

SoIVuS Oui SAOoA ANY,
Results Of the Use Of Cocoains-Cases Where
Death Has Resulted from It's Administra-
tion-MOst Danger in Cases of Aged and
Highly Nervous People
Cocaine, as is now well-known, is a
valuable but an exceedingly danger
)us drug; and NJ Defournier French
physician of note, has lately published
The remarkable result OF his investiga-
tions into its use. Cases where acci-
dents have occurred are very numer-
Gus, and there is hardly surgeon US
K ing cocoaine who has not had occasion
to witness them. AS early rs In 1887
Dr. Madison published the account OF
forty such instances, and the role OF
victims who have lost their life from a
dose OF cocoaine has now reached as
high as nine. In large number OF
cases it has given rise TO a species OF
poisoning, from which the patient usu-
ally RECEIVERS. Among the phenomena
characte rizing this form of poisoning
one is worthy Of special mention. The
patient was taken with facial paralysis,
from which he did not recover for six
months. Other symptoms are hallu-
cinations, great excitement and cere-
bral agitation; and, finally in one case
he saw the entire body covered by .
scarlatiniform rash.
Wishing to remove a large wart
, situated at the base OF the thumb OF a
young girl OF 20, the physician inject
ed under the skin, close TO the wart,
\ one cubic centimeter OF a one-ln-ten
solution OF cocaine. The patient felt
no pain, but as the little wound was
being sewed together she suddenly lost
( her color and tainted; her pulse be-
came weak and slow. and her han Is
and feet softened. Water was dashed
Z in her face, and she recovered con-
sciousnesS, but she did not regain at
once her sense OF feeling, IA she kept
asking where her hands were. By
this time the stiffening had extended
to the whole OF her person; but these
alarming symptoms quieted down
little by little, and in half an hours
time they all came to n happy end.
This case represents the mildest form
of cocaine poisoning. Between this
form and the cases in which death en-
sued come in series OF severer forms,
in which the alarming symptoms last
from three hours to five or six days.
Dr. BaratouX mentions the case OF a
druggist, who, under the impression
that he was attacked by diphtheria,
sprayed his throat with solution of
cocaine; for seven or eight hours he
passed from one syncope to another,
until he finally succumbel.
A doctor reports another Casa
woman OF II. She received hypoder-
mic injection OF four centigrams OF
cocaine in her lower eyelid before un-
dergoing a trivial operation in that
region. At the close OF the operation
she tainted, and her face became pur-
pie as in asphyxia. In spite OF the
fact that Artificial respiration was per-
formed, and that hypodermic injections
OF ether and caffeine were made, and
though the latter seemed for a moment
TO revive her, this unfortunate woman
died five hours afterward.
III we endeavor TO ascertain to what
cause to ascribe these different symp-
toms and these cases of death, we
note that the most frequent is the use
OF too large dose of cocaine. The
highest dose that can be used without
risk is, according to some, three cent?
grams; according to others, twenty
centigrams. Between these two guam
titles, that are so wide apart, there il
a moderate dose that we can set as be
ing from five to seven centigrams; with
this dose it may possibly happen tina
in some cases total anRsthesia will no
be reached, but in the larger mum be
of cases no alarming symptoms will b,
observed. Still, it is prudent to refus,
to give cocaine to aged persons, Il
highly nervous people. or to such a
are run down from any cause.