Eleventh Communication frorn Dr. Thornton. 2I5 



Case of Mrs. . 



When called to this lady, I found her stupified on the 

 bed, with an unconquerable disposition to tall asleep in 

 whatever position placed. She was six months gone with 

 child ; and from some disagreement with her husband, who 

 had left her, she conceived the wretched project of ridding 

 herself of an existence now become insupportable without 

 that relief which religion affords, and which ever deters from 

 suicide in the hour of affliction. As prior help had been 

 called in, and the emetic sent had operated, I ordered upon 

 my arrival vinegar mixed with water to be drank, which 

 awakened our torpid patient, and being repeated at intervals, 

 until the lemonade was substituted, took off the sedative 

 powers of laudanum j and in the evening our patient was 

 tree from all danger. 



Observations on these Cases hy Dr. Thornton. 



1. Laudanum and wine have been happily compared by 

 modern physicians as to their effects on the animal oeco- 

 nomy. 



2. As wine by distillation is made into brandy, and 

 brandy, by another process, into ether, so do we explain 

 the concentrated powers of laudanum dependent upon a few 

 drops. 



3. As there is first ill-directed action, then total loss of 

 muscular power, and sleep, the kind provision of nature to 

 recruit the irritable principle, taken away by the disoxygen- 

 ating efiect of too much v.'ine or laudanum received into 

 the stomach, the philosophic practice indicated is to add as 

 a balance to the hydrogen the oxygenous principle. 



4. That this last principle is greedily absorbed by the 

 stomach under these conditions appears from the acid 

 drinks being at first brought up free of the acid taste, and 

 removing quickly the intoxication. 



5. In the case of sir George Braithwaite Boughton, hart. 

 [Vide my Philosophy of Medicine, vol. iv. p. I'JS), v.here, 

 in addition to the lemonade, the inhalation of a superoxy- 

 genated air was employed, the cure was remarkably nipid. 



6. In the West Indies, when the negro has put out the 

 quantity of rum, he says to his master, '' Masse, do you 

 driiiky for drnrJuj, or drinky for dry j" <ind proportions the 

 quantity of lime-juice accordingly, employing no diflercncc 

 as to the spirits or water. 



7. The disagreeable efiect s of laudanum on t!ie head, as 

 wilii intoxication^ the next day, is removed by Llic inhalation 



of 



