The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1914-12-28

tUI LAc EIChNA aSAASAAS "a ~~~~~
tcine had accepted it, but 1t got nj
further. Mr. Thompson was then IL
the city and to him has fallen thu
wonderful opportunity of carrying thu
good news to the men and women o
America Here it is
Attention must be called to the FAC
that the practice here described hat
nothing to do with the morphine
scopolamin treatment originated some
years ago in Freiburg and which re
Gently has had some measure OF ex
pioitation under the popular name o.
twilight sleep" This requires spec
ial and very expert care on the part
OF the physician, and has the further
disadvantage of drugging the patient
into a state of partial insensibility
1t can be administered properly only
in hospitals, and its use in general
practice should, and probably will be
forbidden by law But detoxicated
morphfn, without the slightest danger
10 the mother, causes neither check
nor delay, does not interfere with
the necessary rhythmic muscular
contractfons, and makes painless
childbirth a scientific certainty.
AS a composition. the Journal OF
the American MEDICAL Association
regards Mr.. Thompson's article as
fairly comparable with that OF the
two ladies who reintroduced twilight
sleep to American women; but for
sentimental rot. for Notwithstanding
rubbish, and for downright sob
writing, Mr.. Vance Thompson must
be given the palm.
AS to the facts, in one place 1t Is
stated:
being in an experimental stage. It
has been accepted by the French
academy of medicine-the date was
the third week in July. Surgeons.
gynecologists. chemists. doctors OF all
degrees have examined, tested, ap-
proved. For once scientific men have
been unanimous.
There is no excuse for such false
statements; even Mr.. Thompson could
easily have learned the truth.
What are the facts? What Is this
.-detoxicated morphin" which. we are
told. eliminates the pains Of child.
birth? Last July, kibemont-Dessai
mes reported to the academy of med
icine of Paris a number OF cases OF
childbirth in which he had used, for
the relief of pain, preparation dis
covered" by chemist named Paulin.
The nature Of the preparation was not
disclosed to the academy. September
1, presumably as result of the sug-
gestion of Paulin, request came to
the academy from the minister OF
war asking the opinion OF the acad-
envy as to the advisability OF using
this remedy, presented under the
name "TocanaIgine'' and "Antalgine,
for morphin. By unanimous vote the
academy declared that, the formula
and composition of these medicines
being unknown. 1t could give no optn-
ion Since it was stated, however,
that the new drug was produced by
the action Of engines on morphin.
the academy appointed committee
to investigate oxydimorphin, chem
ical substance which 1t was known
could be produced by the action of
engines on morphtn. Under the d.
rection of the committee, two chem
lists examined samples Of the new
obtained directly from the
The examination showed
that these samples were variable. and
that they did not contain any oxy-
The only active ingred-
lent found by these chemists was NOR
phin hydrochlorid, and this in guam
titles varying from sos TO FER cent.
The conclusions of these two chem
lists were later emphasized by Der
trand who, after careful chemical and
oioIogic tests of samples submitted
to him, found that the solid residue
was exclusively formed of hydrochlo-
rid of morphin, and that it was fully
as toxic and dangerous as morpilin,
as might be expected: the symptoms
Of poisoning were exactly the same
as those OF morphin hydrochiorid,
and death occurred after the same
A dose of the preparation
would give about =. grain of morphin.
In other words, judging from the
reports which appeared in the Jour
nal de pharmacie ct de CHIME for
1G, and the Bulletin de
de medicine from July II
to November Il. this so-called "detox-
icated morphin" is essentially solu-
ton of morphin in ampules. II will
kill just as quickly as morphin, it viii
relieve pain just as quickly as nor
it is morphin. Natur-
ally, the academy of medicine OF
Paris has not accepted the prepara
ton.
We presume it is useless to protest
against this shameless exploitation Of
the fears OF prospective mothers OF
the country. But If magazines must
have articles on this subject, let them
at least contne themselves to the
facts. The article in the Cosmopoli-