188 Foreign and Miscellaneous Intelligence. 



irregular, the saliva and mucus are diminished, and complaint is 

 made of dryness of the mouth and throat. The nervous power is 

 also materially affected, and symptoms resembling hysteria and 

 hypochondriasis arise, morbid sensibility, lowness of spirits, timidity, 

 sensation of weakness, trembling of the limbs, similar to that pro- 

 duced by mercury, agitated sleep, with disagreeable dreams, &c. 



At this period irregular and transient febrile attacks announce a 

 reaction of the constitution. If now the morbid condition be not 

 opposed, and if the iodine be continued, the above symptoms in- 

 crease in severity, and shortly the glandular tissues, the breasts, 

 testicles, and thyroid gland are diminished in substance. At length, 

 all those symptoms arise, which are said to constitute nervous con- 

 sumption. 



M. Jahn has examined two bodies, which presented the traces of 

 the action of iodine. A woman, who having misused the remedy, 

 was attacked with enteritis, which proved fatal; and a man affected 

 with cancer of the stomach, who was treated by the internal and 

 external use of iodine, and who took very large doses of the tincture 

 secretly, in hopes of a more speedy cure. 



In the bodies of these patients the fat had disappeared, the 

 various tissues had a withered and flabby appearance, the glands 

 were shrunk and soft, and also the mesenteric ganglia (which are 

 usually much developed in cancer of the stomach), the thyroid and 

 supra-renal glands, the liver, spleen and ovaries. 



Notwithstanding the mischief sometimes inflicted by the use of 

 iodine, M. Jahn considers it one of the most valuable remedies 

 which has been recently discovered*. 



6. CHLORINE AN ANTIDOTE TO HYDROCYANIC ACID. 



MM. Persoz and Nonat have verified the favourable results which 

 M. Simeon had obtained relative to the remedy which chlorine 

 affords against prussic acid. They operated upon three dogs, upon 

 the eyes of which a drop of prussic acid had been placed. Dividing 

 the symptoms into three periods, namely ; i. uneasiness, ii. tetanus, 

 iii. interrupted respiration : they found that when chlorine was 

 applied in the first period, the relief was immediate, the respiration 

 became regular, vomitings and alvine discharges occurred, the 

 animal gradually regained its strength, rose unsteadily, and, in 

 about half an hour, was as lively as at first. Applied at the second 

 period, the symptoms were arrested, but the restlessness continued 

 awhile ; and though respiration was less painful, the convulsive 

 movements continued for ten minutes, then occurred vomitings, 

 &c., as before, and, at the end of an hour, the animal was perfectly 

 well. The two dogs thus treated being tried next day with the 

 same quantity of prussic acid, but without chlorine, died in a few 

 minutes. 



* Med. Jour., xlix., p. 72. 



