The citizen-Republican. (Scotland, Bon Homme County, S.D.) 1???-19??, 1915-06-24
BY Or. w. A. EVANS.

the hypodermic Injection OF morphine
and hyoscin. Ordinarily the method is
called by physicians the morphin-sco-
| polamine method. Scopolamine and hy-
oscin commercially are the same sub
stance.
The commonly employed method is
/ to inject one-sixth OF a grain OF NOR
phine and }1.2ooth Of a grain Of scopola-
mine. There is nothing out OF the or.
binary In h injection of one-sixth OF
a grain Of morphine. Commonly, NOR
hypodermic injection, tho dose Of the
one being o~ne-fourth Of a grain and of
the latter 1-150 of q grain.
Atropine and hyoscin are related.
Atropine is derived from the belladon
ma plant and the very similar drug,
the plants belong to the same family,
and though the drugs are chemically
almost the same, the effects of the
drugs differ somewhat. Especially Is
this true when the drugs are combined
with morphine.
Morphine and hyoscin have an effect
markedly different from that OF NOR
phine and %atropine. Many people have
taken one or more doses of morphine
and hyoscin. While not a frequent COM
Nearly every drinking nan subject to
the monkeys" las been sobered Up on
morphine and hyoscin.
Then, a good many Thousands OF peo-
pie have taken the so-called twilight
sleep without knowing it. Many addi-
o thousands have seen these peo-
pie when they have been quieted with
morphine hyoscin. This makes 1t easier
Tor the average man or woman to es-
Innate 1t. to form an opinion concern
Ing 1t. It is not as II something was
to be Judged which had come entirely
lnknnyUn from fpr q XUnu TrniharpL
To produce the twilight sleep in a
woman during childbirth the physician
gives a hypodermic injection consisting
OF one-sixth of a grain of morphine and
1-l50 of a grain Of hyoscin hydrobro-
mide, also called scopolamine hydro
bromide, Ten minutes after the injec-
ton the effects begin. They last for
about eight hours.
1t Is frequently necessary to repeat
the dose. In that event 1t is customary
to give q smaller dose. This can be
repeated several times.
Most authorities advise that where 1t
Is anticipated that a prolonged effect
will be required the doses be made
smaller and be repeated as required.
Within a few minutes after h dose
in the mouth. The mental agitation
subsidies. The nose itches. The face
| becomes red. In fact, the features ap-
pear turgid and a little swollen. There
may be a mild delirium. The patient
is disposed to talk incoherently. The
patient will start to say something,
and in the middle of a sentence Will
switch to another thought. Each
thought Is sensible and proper
The abnormality consists in the tend
ency of the mind to hop from one to
another. Or a sentence will be started,
and in 1t there will be inserted a word
in no way related to the balance of
the sentence. Presently 1t will appear
that he word used had reference to
some other though in the patients
less tumble Of words In the patients
mind. The words were good. the ideas
were good; the jumbling was In the
way they We're hooked out. Sleep is
intermittent: walking Is easy; falling
back to sleep Is easy.
Perhaps the most striking quality of
this condition Is calm. All agitation
There is no worry, no anxiety,
no agitation. There Is indiffer-
ence to everything. The speech is
calm. slow, quiet.
All writer's on twilight sleep empha-
size this condition of mental calm as
the overshadowfng effect OF the drug.
Hewitt In his book on anaesthesia
writes OF THE contented somnolent
sleep" He says that the method is
especially applicable ito highly ner-
vous, apprenticeship. sensitive subjects
| who are terrorized." Wood says Of
hyoscin that it is especially valuable
In those cases OF insomnia In which
there is a continued flow OF thoughts
through an excited brain.
When presently the use OF twilight
sleep In childbirth is under discussion
reference will again be made to these
quotations.
Among the less prominent effects
from this combination noted by obsery-
ers are dilation OF the pupils and slight
depression Of the breathing centers.
Since the medicine produces consti-
patton Its use should be followed by a
purge.
Pains are IN great measure relieved.
In addition, and this Is the more i'm
portant point. the pain impulse Is pres
ent, u It does not register. The man
at the speaking end of the telephone is
ringing his bell but the bell at central
Is not ringing because it is not hooked
ringing but the girl at the switchboard
ts reading q n pays no atten-
tion@to 1T. Maybe the woman In labor
Eis suffering pain, but she is Indifferent
to It while 1t lasts and after 1t Is over
h has little recollection OF 1t.
There is enough OF a description OF
the state OF body and mind Of q person
under twilight sleep to serve two pur-
poses. First. some people who have
k 1t will be able to recognize their
experiences. some OF the old monkey
threatened soaks will see that they are
competent from experience to advise
gexpectant mothers. There are SER
mons In stones and good In everything"
In the second place, some Women who
nov hate the matter under ~considera-
ton may be helped to a conclusion.
When the drug Is deposited under the
skin 1t flows at once into blood capili-
aries. Through these it gets into the
general blood supply. 1t Is carried to
the brain, The effects noted above are
h result OF h action OF the drug
on the brain centers.
In the Isl OF o prospective mother
at proporttonate part OF the drug passes
from the blood OF the mother into the
blood OF her baby. The effects on the
mother i duplicated on her baby.
When the baby IS born it at once criey
Y This crying out is q protest
against the chill Of the air. "A baby
born while In the twilight sleep Is not
disposed 70 cry u IT Is ina state OF
somnclent content.