- NEURALGIA IN THE FINGER. 63 
‘be serviceable in some cases combined with an alkali as in the 
liquor arsenicalis. He commenced with this on the 21st of August, 
and began with small doses three minims three times a-day, not 
taking it on an empty stomach. ‘This was increased gradually to 
nine minims, but without any effect on the disease, though it 
began to make him sick. Nine minims I consider a very full dose. 
It, however, disturbed his stomach, and to prevent the sickness he 
took two minims of hydrocyanic acid three times a-day, half an 
hour before the arsenic. ‘This did not lessen the sickness, and I 
therefore was obliged to increase it to three minims, and went gra- 
dually on till I arrived at a dose of nine minims three times a-day. 
This entirely prevented the sickness arising from the arsenic. Hy- 
drocyanic acid has the very valuable property of stopping vomiting, 
provided this does not depend on inflammation. Knowing the 
power that it has of tranquillizing the stomach generally, though it 
does not invariably produce relief in gastrodinia, 1 thought it would 
stop vomiting. I never heard that it had been used in such cases, 
but I thought it must do good. After employing it for two or 
three years, I thought it might prevent medicines from causing 
further vomiting. I tried it, and I found that it had that power in 
a very marked degree. Finding in this case that two minims had 
no effect, I gradually increased it, as I have before mentioned, to 
nine minims, and it then entirely stopped the sickness caused by 
the arsenic. | | 
‘All this time the arsenic did no good ; he bore it very well, but 
it was of no service to him, and I therefore gradually increased it 
to the largest dose that I ever gave—viz. twenty minims three 
times a-day. He now began to look thin again—did not look so 
well as before. I could not, however, tell whether it was the result 
of the arsenic. It might merely have arisen from his extreme suf- 
fering, but.still it was right that J should discontinue the medicine, 
and I did so without his having derived the slightest benefit from it 
during the whole period of its exhibition. As it was necessary to 
procure sleep, the muriate of morphia was gradually increased up to 
six, and at last to eight grains twice a-day. His agony was such, 
that the begged to have the opiate, and he also begged to have it 
increased, otherwise he said he could scarcely exist. 
“He was taking, therefore, at last, eight grains of muriate of 
morphia, twice a-day, which gave him ease, (1 got him to omit it 
once or twice, hut he suffered so much, that he begged to -have it 
again), and twenty minims of liquor arsenicalis, always taking 
before it nine minims of hydrocyanic acid. This he bore perfectly 
well, with the exception that he looked as il] as he did when he first 
came in, not worse, but just as he did before I gave him the iron, 
“He now wished to go out of the hospital for a fortnight for a 
change, and he was supplied with a quantity of muriate of morphia 
to take with him till he came again. 
‘‘T attempted, during the time, other local measures. He once 
-pubbed the extract of stramonium on his finger frequently every 
