The herald., 1894-04-01
MoRPHINE,s NEW ANTIpoTE.
Dr.. Moor Tells How He Made the DiscOv-
cry and of His Experiments.

Dr.. Moor Tells How He Made the DiscOv-
cry and of His Experiments.
DR.. William Moor, whose discovery
pf permanganate Of potassium as an an
hdote for morphine poisoning has made
him famous, has written q paper upon
The subject which has been Published In
b we'll known medical periodical. In
This he treats the subject almost al
together, rs might be expected, in
technical manner. He tells, however,
If the Investigations that led to his dis.
sovery in the following words:
After some trials / found that the
best way of administering 1t was to
have it made up in pills with cacao
butter and talcum Of ka0lin, and to di-
rect the patient to drink very slowly a
glassful OF water just one minute after
taking the pill, for the latter begins to
disintegrate in one minute at the tenn
perature of the body. By using this
method successfully ccmbated the ex-
tremely disagreeable odor in a case OF
cancer of the stomach.
IA bout that time / treated well
known actor suffering from acute pleu-
risy. This gentleman was addicted to
morphine, and as had taken much in
terest in him earnestly sought the best
plan to break his habit. The idea oc-
CURED to me that perhaps permanga-
nate of potash might decompose NOR
phine, the latter being an organic sub
stance, and that by making use of
certain method could eventually break
his habit without restricting him from
taking his morphine. My patient, how
ever, started on professional tour just
when began to put my idea to test.
This circumstance did not prevent me
from continuing my researches as to
the effect of permanganate Of potassium
on morphine, and today am permitted
to offer to the profession what consider
to be the antidote par excellence for
morphine.
Then considering in detail the pecul-
ia1 effects of the aniidote when differ
emily administered Dr.. Moor continues:
Having gained the knowledge of
these facts. it is not surprising that |
could swallow with impunity toxic
dcses of sulphate Of morphine followed
in few moments by Il corresponding
amount OF the chemical body which
| was justified to consider the antidote
par excellence lor morphine. Thus on
one occasion fCUr hours after full dim
ner. at tiE.a when the stomach. must
have contained % gut atnounl ol solu-
l,ly- prcnes and other organic matter,
took two grains of the sulphate of
morphine in about half of an ounce of
water. followed in one minute by three
g1ai4s Of its antidote-tor safety's sake
oue gain more than necessary-dis-
solved il iu-r ounces of water. In an
otutr instance three hours after light
supper | took in the presence of several
colleagues belonging to the staff Of the
West Side German clinic Of this city
three grains Of the sulphate of NOR
phine, followed in about 80 seconds by
four grains of permanganate of potas-
eium, both in aqueous solution. i was
perfectly confident that the antidote pos
sessed such wonderful infinity for the
morphine that 1t would select it instan-
taneously from among the contents Of
the stomach.
In case of poisoning by any of the
salts of mcrphia 10 to 16 grains Of the
antidote dissolved in six or eight ounces
of water should be administered at once
and repeated at intervals Of 80 minutes
three or four times, or even more often.
Permanganate of potassium as we'll as
the salts of manganese are compare
lively harmless, even If given in large
quantities
DR.. Moor continues: "In cases of
poisoning by the alkaloid itself or by
tincture of opium Qaudanum), also by
opium, 1t is advisable to acidulate the
antidotal solution with diluted sui
phuric acid, or in the absence of this
with some white vinegar-not red. vine
gar-by which the insoluble morphia
will be at once converted into the eolu-
BILE sulpbate Of acetate. have strong
reason to believe that the administra-
tion of pernanganate win be OF bene-
fclal effect even after absorption of the
morphine has taken place."