The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1899-09-24

One of the most disagreeable symptoms
of neurasthenia, that Is, nervous ex-
haustion. is sleeplessness. Aside from
the danger of creating drug habit by
giving sleep-inducing drugs, the patient
soon becomes accustomed to drug SO
that it looses it's beneficial effect
ID Aulnay recommends the use of the
hot pack for producing sleep. The patient
is first sponged off with cool water and
is then quickly wrapped in blanket
which has been Wrung out eff hot water
Outside of this is placed a dry blanket
and about this cry blanket is also placed
hot bottles. The patient in the course of
a few minutes breaks cut into sweat
and after this sweat has been continued
five or ten minutes he is placed between
warm blankets, rubbed off with a towel,
and soon goes to sleep.
1t is well known that coffee in excess
IS a nervous irIitant ard there are many
cases in which 1t cannot be endured at all.
Palche reports case where small doses
Of caffeine-the active principle OF coffee
caused marked excitement. great loquac-
:ty, deliriuu, vomiting and extreme sensl-
tiveness of the skin. D2lche believes
that the patient had an idlosyncracy to
tie drug. Rardet mentions a case in
which one drop Of laudanum produced
grave intoxic ltion The iodides, the
bromides, and codeine sometimes produce
serious symptoms. In another case, a
woman was seized with Intense vomiting
after being rubbed with liniment co!i-
tanning IaudanUm. Another woman al
ways had the nose bleed whenever she
took solution of bicarbonate of soda in
water. In still another case the patient
could not take laughing gas without the
development OF Gisagreeable symptom.
These ijiosyncracies are rarely met with,
but the physician must always BE- pre-
pared to meet them and should always
give due credit to the word of the patient
who says 81 can't take such and such a
remedy" for he or she has doubtless
proven it by experience.
C'hlorate of potash, although it Is still
popular with the people as supposed
to-hs harmless drug in sore throat and
the like, has within a few years been
rapidly declining in professional favor
1T Is by no means the innocent drug
L
literature Of medicine contains each year
more and mora cases in which the abuse
s Of this remedy, has led TO serious and
even fatal results. This is especially the
case where, through misunderstanding Of
orders. or through iiladvcrtance. the
patient swallows a gargle. The object CT
this note Is to call attention to the fact
that chlorate of potash Is, next to the
cyanide of potash, the most poisonous OF
the potash salts.
Antipyrine is another drug which has
come into disfavor Among it's dangers
Sparoudis, of Port Said, claims that per-
sons suffering from erysipelas seem to
be peculiarly susceptible to antipyrine
1t causes suppression Of urine and
great fall In temperature requiring the
administration, simultaneously, Of caf-
feline, and hot applications. He believes
that erysipelas is one of the infectious
diseases in which antipyriue Is contra
Indicated Lyon has reported a case in
which a woman developed a skin eruption
several hours after taking antipyrine
Blondel reports other cases in which sore
mouth was also caused. and GoldSchmidt
of Strasburg, notes that swelling of the
lower extrenities occurred as a result of
full doses of antipyrine. These complica-
items occur, as a rule, in persons with
kidney trouble.
Powdered pyrethfum, that is, Persian or
Daimatian insect powder, Is usually con-
sidered harmless and is usually sold with
a tacit understanding that 1t can be in
hailed or even eaten by man without Ill
effects Feraud, of Paris, reports ease
in which a child ate a considerable guam
tity of this powder Pallor, vomiting, col
lapse, slow and feeble heart and depres-
sion of respiration occurred. but the little
patient was saved by the administration
of an emetic dese of ipecac. several
cases have been reported in which Ply
retlrttrn peyv6er- which has been inhaled
has produced aspllyxia by causing spasm
of the throat.
While due precautions are taken against
the snreading of disease by sailors COM
ing from infected or suspected ports,
there Is danger OF The transmission of dis
easa byr rats and mice, coming from laza-
re.s and shipping. By recent decision
of the public health committee OF
France, a series of resolutions have been
adopted. chiefly on account of the plague.
The opening of lazarets must be care
fully closed or covered with wire MEETINGS.
On beard the ships poison and traps will
be used to destroy the rats and mice and
their carcasseS will be Immediately
burned Tor their destruction in inacces-
sible pfaces sulfurous acid will be used
Places where dead rats have been picked
ussfytjll he washed with disinfecting solu-
tious. Before loading a vessel means VIII
be taken to insure the absence OF any
rats on board and the vessel itself VIII
be dtsinfeeted
A strike of medical men seems a strange
thing vet the Coiliery Surgeons associa-
ton, in the Bolton district, of England.
recently issued circular containing a
resolution: to the effect that they will not
meet in consultation or assist in practice
any medical men who do not join the as
scctation and demand with them certain
rate of pay The Philadelphia Medical
Journal, commenting upon this, says that
the attitude thus adopted is a very strong
one but we are certain that to ~save a
life every adherent of the association
would throw his principles to the wind
and do his best for a fellow creature
Among the remedies for consumption.
recommended by Flick, are over-nutri-
ton. plenty of fresh air, and GER
tain drugs, particularly some form
of iodine, creosote or strychnine'
He secures sort of anti-toxine
treatment by placing a large fly
blister over the chest or back. and al
lowing the fluid from it to be reabsorbed
by the tissues. This produces malafse
and some fever, but the general effect
seems to be beneficial He does not re-
gard climate as particularly important.
Arsenate of strychnine Is highly recon-
mended by Ide as a tonic. For aged peo-
pie, he claims that 1t Is superior to all