PAPAVER SOMN1FERUM. 88 



re- 



not be perceived without great attention, yet the patient 

 covered. 



The pupils are always at least sluggish in their contractions, 

 often quite insensible ; sometimes they are dilated, but much 

 more commonly contracted, and occasionally to an extreme 

 degree. In the case last noticed, they were no bigger than a 

 pin's point. 



The expression of the countenance is, for the most part, 

 remarkably placid, like that of a person in a sound, natural 

 sleep ; occasionally there is an expression of anxiety mingled 

 with stupor. The face is commonly pale ; sometimes, however, 



it is flushed, and in rare cases the expression is furious. 



Notwithstanding the purely narcotic or nervous symptoms 

 which Opium produces in a vast proportion of instances, there 

 is no doubt that it produces, in a few rare cases, those of irri- 

 tation also. Thus, although it generally constipates the bowels, 

 it has been known to induce diarrhoea, or colic, in particular 

 constitutions. The soldier, whose case was quoted as having 

 been accompanied with convulsions, had acute pain in the 

 stomach for some time after swallowing the poison ; and in 

 another case, the accession of somnolency was attended with 

 excruciating colic pains, of two days' duration. Another and 

 more singular anomaly is the spontaneous occurrence of vomit- 

 ing. Another anomaly has been mentioned by a writer of high 

 authority (Pyl)> viz., complete remission of all the symptoms, 

 for days together, and subsequent renewal of them. The pos- 

 sibility of such a remission must be received with great hesita- 

 tion. His case, however, was the following : " A man who had 

 taken a large quantity of Opium, and became very dangerously 



lined his senses 



completely. The bowels continued obstinately costive, but he 

 had for some days no other symptom referable to the poison, 

 when at length the w r hole body became gradually palsied and 

 stiff, and he died on the tenth day. No importance can be 

 attached to a solitary case, differing so widely from every 



