Rocky Ford enterprise., 1896-06-18


cine alone brings a neat profit to
the dealer. In New York. which
Is a city Of nerves. It has proved
to be an especial fovorite, says the
World Of that city.
Ordinarily druggists will not cell o
solution Of cocaine stronger than 10 per
cent without q doctors prescription.
And there Is excellent reason for this
precaution. Cocaine Ia q Hnc servant,
but q very ugly master. In which respect
II Is much like opium and morphine. It
u frequently applied externally for tho
relief of toothache and neuralgia, and in
this way It cannot do much damage.
But when taken internally It may work
serious consequences. Tho effects Of
nm overdose Of the 10 per cent solution
Of the hydrochlorate of cocaine (the
solution usually sold In drug stores) are
% follows: Tho patient suffers imme-
diately from vertigo. and then epilcptic
oonvulsions: the teeth are firmly
clinched. and the face and lips become
bloodless. There Ii apparently no suf-
fering. a. the brain becomes numb and
the patient loses consciousness. II the
dose 10 sufficiently large death will on
sue. There are numerous recorded cases
Of fatal poisoning BY cocaine. Among
these arc the case OF a woman Of sew
outy-one years Of age. who died i've
hours after the subcutaneous injection
OF two-thirds Of grain: and the case
Of man In whom tho injection Of one
and one-third grains was followed by .
fatal result. One case 10 also on record
where death occurred in female after
three grains and . half had boon ad-
ministered hypodermically. II 10 stat
ed that q man died almost Immediately
afted swallowing twenty-five grains.
The nrst published case was that Of
. man to whom was given by mistake
twenty grains. Hc died In an hour. A
fatal case also occurred In Russia from
q dose Of twenty-five crains. A mclan-
eholy interest attached to this case. A.
the surgeon who In mistake prescribed
this overdose Immediately Afterwards
committed suicide. Come remarkable
reoovsries have been effected after very
largs doses taken Into the stomach.
The most notable casa OF the kind was
that of Q man who swallowed forty-si1
grains and recovered. On the othor
hand, serious symptoms Of poisonins
have becn occasiensd By the hypoder-
mic administrsljon Of such doses q
the ssvsath ofa grain and leas than hall
. sraln. Thses u one intsrostins casa
on record Of . girl 70 whom ooc-twen-
tSsth Of . srain was given subcuta-
neously. Alarming symptoms followed.
and grave fears were entertained fce
the patients safety. but she eventually
recovered. On another occasion oos
one-hundredth Of grain applied 70 the
eye Of . patient aged fourteen years
caused symptoms Of poisoning. From
an examination and comparison OF all
the records obtainable. DR.. o. H. Gar
land, an English physician. has come
to tho conclusion that the fatnl dose Of
cocaine 10 about fifteen grains. He
states, however, that "in the present
state Of our knowledge. It 10 practically
impossible to say what 10 the smallest
dose that will produce fatal results. sce-
ing that dose Of tvo-thirds OF . grain
has caused death. and % minute .
dose - Q hundrcdth OF grain has
given rise to symptoms threatening
life" Physicians agree that the pros
ont habit Of self dosing" 10 particular.
iy harmful when the patient begins to
treat himself with cocaine. The notion
appears to have gone abroad that the
stun 10 quite harmless. and 10 . cure
for all pains. II certainly Possesses re-
markable powers In deadening nerve
sensations. and Il has been invaluable
In surgery. That Il is not harmless.
however. 10 quito evident. and tho dim
Guilty 10 that NO two patients seem to
be affected In the same way.