The record-union., 1899-04-10
AAI|DoTEs FOR PolsoNs.
QUICK RELIEF FOR WHAT
MIGHT PROVE FATAL.
Prof. j. v. Shoemaker Describes
Some Effective Remedies
For Poisoning.
"If we had only known."

IF we had only known!"
That is cry oft repeated whenever
something untoward has happened, and
TOO late the fact is learned that an ex-
cellenf remedy, or, at all events. allevi-
ator, was all the time right at hand.
Especially is this cry heard in cases
or poisoning, whether accidental or IN
tentional, suicidal or homicidal Did
the friends of the poisoned person only
know that certain articles which are TO
be found in nearly every househoid'
poor and rich alike, are the best anti
dotes for some of the most deadly drugs,
they might, while the nearest doctor is
being sent for, be administered with
such alleviating results that when the
doctor arrives he will find the patient
most pliable to his more scientific and
drastic remedies. He will find the ultl-
mate elimination of the poison compar-
atively simple, and it will be the results
of the shock to the system that he will
chiefly have to attend to-
In nearly every house there are to be
found vinegar, milk, tea, coffee, am
monaa. chalk in the form of tooth pow
der, and, at any rate, there is mortar
on the walls, OIL flour and water, soap,
carbonate of soda and water.
In these common household necessi-
ties rlay be found immediate antidotes
to the action of nearly all of the COM
mon poisons But in order to have sci
entific information on subject. Which
has recently been brought very promi-
nently before the public, a representa-
tive of the Inquirer" called upon Dr.
J. v. Shoemaker, the eminent toxocolo-
gist of the Medico-C -Chirurgical College.
whose evidence i'm a recent alleged case
of poisoning had so powerful an effect
upon the jury and he at once placed
all of his great knowledge and expert
ence at the service of the Inquirer"
THE COMMON PoIsoNS.
st do not suppose said the Profess
sor, that you want me to go in for
scientific dissertation upon all the
known poisons, the various methods OF
administering them, and their effects
upon the human system. What you
want is some practical information
for the benefit of the general public in
cases of emergency, and While the pro-
fessional medical man is being waited
for Well, it is, anyhow, as well that
people should know something about
the poisons themselves first, and l can
give you all that is necessary for them
to know in nutshell. 1t should be
remembered that poisons may effect
a twofold action; their effects may be
either local or remote or both Local
action is usually either corrosive, in
flammatory or directly effective upon
the nerves of sense or motion. The re-
mote actions of pOisons are usually spe-
cifically Characteristic of the poison it
self. The local action of a corrosive
I'll, 1-a6 lr7d
obvious as to leave no doubt as to its
character The same is true, to GER
tain degree, of irritant poisons; but the
symptoms sometimes so closely re-
senble natural diseases as to make in
stant determination difficult. A knowl-
edge of remote specific effect is, there
fore. essential to the medical man, to
whom the class of poison administered
will at once be suggested by observa-
tion of the symptoms, and frequently
the actual poison itself suspected. A
simple classification of poisonS is: cor
rosive, irritant neurotic and gaseous.
The most common of the poisons used
with homicidal intent, and, unfortu-
nately. forming portions Of articles fire.
quently used in most households. are
arsenic, strychnine and carbolic acid.
Recently we have had an extraordinary
series of cases in New York of poison
ing by prussic acid. and. of course,
by no means uncommon form is by
opium.
A UNIVERSAL ANTIDOTE.
1T would be going too far to say
that in every case death might be OBJ
waited, but this is certain, that, did
everybody know of some simple and
handy antidote and would they admin
lister it Immediately, While waiting for
the doctor, in all cases a chance of life
would be given and in many cases
death would be STAYED off. OF course,
the first question that will be asked
when the doctor inquiries If any anti
dote has been given will be: How were
we to know what kind Of poison it
WASP This question has been answer
ed by DR.. Murrell in his excellent little
book, What to Do in Case of Poison
ing" He gives a general formula for
immediate administration in cases of
poisoning by an unknown agent, which
is sometimes useful as a sort of univer-
sal antidote. The following ingredients
may be kept in the house ready for i'm
mediate mixture and administration in
case of emergency. A saturated solu-
tion of the sulphate of iron, calcined
masnesia and purified animal charcoal
These substances must be kept separate
until wanted, and then mixed in the
following quantities:
Solution of the sulphate of iron. 100 parts
MaSnesia % parts
Animal charcoal .................... 10 parts
Water .-.-...-.-...-.-.-....-.. $40 parts
Put all the ingredients in a bottle.
shake them we'll together and give a
wine glass full of the mixture frequent
" while all the substances are in a
state Of suspension or floating about in
the water.
SOME SPECIAL ANTIDOTES.
Now let me go on to the antidotes
for special poisons. which antidotes are
to be found in nearly every house and
may be- freely administered while
awaiting the physicians arrival. Let
US suppose that arsenical poison is sus-
pected, the patient complains Of hor-
rible burning pains in the stomach and
bowels, accompanied perhaps by vomit-
ing, purging, collapse resembling
cholera and even paralysis of one of
the limbs. Run for the milk Bring
along the magnesia. Get your flour and
water and oil. Don't be afraid. Give
big doses. Let your patient vonnit, but
keep on with the milk and magnesia,