Daily camera., 1901-12-14
A HANDY ANTIDOTE.
Sure Remedy for Carbolic Acid
Poisoning or External Burns.
Common Cider Vinegar Said to OpeF-
ate In . speedy aAd Satisfac-
tory Manner An lDpor-
tant Discovery.

DR.. II. C. Allen, editor Of the Medical
Advance of Chicago, Is conducting a
vigorous propaganda for the dissem-
ination Of the fact that there is sure,
swift and easily procured antidote to
carbolic acid. That antidote is com
mon cider vinegar, which can be found
in most households. The Importance
Of this discovery may bs inferred from
the fact that il has been asserted that
there are more accidental deaths from
carbolic acid" That antidote il com
sonous drugs combined. says the Chi
cago ordHerald.
The masses have been taught to con-
slider carbolic acid a valuable antisep-
tic of wide applica bi!ity. 1t is sold
freely without restriction, and is kept
on pantry shelves in many homes. 1t
is true it is labeled poison" but the
people through familiarity with it have
lost much Of their fear. 1t is not
strange, therefore. that the ignorant
and careless suffer accidentally and
that the angry and malicious use the
poison for their evil purposes. For q
long time doctors were helpless in the
presence Of carbolic acid poisoning,
and even now. It is said, many OF them
are ignorant Of the fact that there is
an antidote
The discover Of the virtue OF cider
vinegar in such cases was made by DR..
Edmund Carleton, Of New York, who
thus relates the manner oft:
THE antidote to carbolic acid is sim
pie. and to be had in every well ordered
household. Knowledge OF its specific
worth came by accident. One day while
making some experiments with the
pure acid an unlucky movement sent
two ounces Of it upon my hand. In
about two seconds I had it under a
stream Of water and washed it, but to
no purpose: il became white and numb.
There seemed to be no escape from the
usual result-desquamation and slow
recovery OF the sense of touch. But
the odor was persistent and unpleas-
ant. In the belief that it might be
changed thereby. a servant was sent
to the kitchen for q cup Of cider vim
egar. While bathing and rubbing the
affected parts with vinegar, what was
restoration Of color and function! In
Ave minutes nothing remained in evil
dence except the modified odor.
"Tha, was the beginning. Numerous
clinical verifcations were obtained
later, but considerable time elapsed
before evidence was obtained as to the
antidotal action OF vinegar when the
mucous membrane was affected. II
came from our colleague, c. s. Kinney,
NJ. D."
DR.. Kinney was connected with the
state hospital for insane at Middle
town, n. Y, and gives the following
account Of the demonstration of the
fact that vinegar is an antidote for
carbolic acid taken internally.
"a nurse called me to see a man who
had swallowed some carbolic acid. The
patient was found with his lips, mouth
and tongue coated white where the
acid had touched them. and the strong
characteristic odor Of acid was pres
ent. He was at once given a half cup
Of vinegar, diluted with an equal
amount Of water. and this followed in
q few moments by a second dose of vim
egar and water. As the time hung
heavily on my hands while waiting for
the stomach pump the patient was
given some milk which he willingly
drank. The odor and the discoloration
from the acid had disappeared from
the patients lips. mouth and tongue
on taking the vinegar and water, and
on using the stomach pump no odor
from the liquid that was pumped from
his stomach could be detected. After
the stomach had been carefully washed
out, the patient was fed with hot milk
for several days and no further symp-
toms developed. Since seeing his
(Carleton's) explanation for the use Of
vinegar a. an antidote for the acid l
have had an opportunity to test its ef-
aciency in a number Of cases and have
always found it TO be reliable in every
particular, and in no instance where
the vinegar has been used within few
moments has there been any eschar
formed"
DR.. Spencer Carleton has demon.
strated before medical men that acetic
acid Is also an antidote to carbolic acid,
acting precisely as vinegar.