48 Dr. Thornton on Pneumatic Medicine. 



A gentleman in the vigour of life meeting with a great 

 disappointment, had not the resolution to bear up against 

 the shock, and he formed the horrid plan of self-murder* 

 The pistol disappointing him in going otf, he took two 

 ounces of laudanum, which he had procured in smaller 

 portions at diti'ereut shops. The apothecarv in the neigh- 

 bourhood, Mr. Goodchild of Park-street, was sent for, who 

 got down a scruple of vitriolated zinc, one of the quickest 

 and most powerful of our emetics. Not finding this to act, 

 he gave the same dose, and repeated it until a drachm was 

 taken, with a scruple of tartar emetic ; but such was the 

 torpor of the stomach, that, as in the case of sir John 

 Braithwaite, no emetic effect was produced. In this state f 

 was sent for, and I found the patient, a gentleman in the 

 armv, of noble birth, convulsed ; his eyes swimming in 

 death ; cold clammy sweats came on ; the pulse scarcely- 

 perceptible, intermittent, ' and hardly beating after each 

 convulsion, the head hung pendent upon the shoulder. As 

 sjoon as I entered the house I ordered vinegar to be brought 

 up, and lemon juice to be procured ; and diluting the vine- 

 gar with a little water, pressing down the tongue, I poured 

 the vinegar into the oesophagus, and afterwards I got down 

 more than three lemons mixed with a little water. The 

 effect of the acid was instantly perceptible; the eyes opened ; 

 the senses returned ; the convulsion for the time ceased ; and 

 the stomach having imbibed the oxygen from the acid, 

 Avhich is according to Girtanner the irritable principle, or, as 

 must be allowed, the sine qna non of irritability, it became 

 sensible to the emetic, and the stomach disgorged its con- 

 tents. More acid being got down, and plentiful dilution, 

 what v;as thrown up was free from all acidity, and reason 

 resumed its empire; but still a sense of great drowsiness 

 prevailed, with occasional spasms. The ratal air was now 

 procured, which Mr. Ince of York Buildings administered ; 

 and the gentleman, after inhaling a gallon diluted with 

 twice that quantity of atmospheric, expressed himself 

 *' greatly revived." — ^This being repeated gave the muscles 

 their tone, the spasms recurred with diminished violence, 

 and the patient " felt Ics-j languor." To be brief : he passed 



a restless 



