144 APPLIED PHYSIOLOGY 



patient entirely away from the drug for a few weeks, con- 

 fining him if necessary. After a short time the craving 

 disappears and the patient recovers his health. 



241. Opium poisoning. A lump of opium the size of a 

 small pea, and weighing about two grains, is enough to put 

 a man into a deep sleep. Twice that amount may cause 

 death. When a person takes an overdose he falls into a 

 deep sleep, from which he can be awakened only with 

 difficulty. He breathes very slowly, and distends the 

 lungs very slightly. The pupils of his eyes contract to 

 small points. These three signs nearly always mean 

 opium poisoning. They should be remembered, for this 

 is the most common form of poisoning. 



242. Treatment of opium poisoning. First. Keep the 

 patient awake by such vigorous measures as slapping his 

 face, shaking his body, and compelling him to walk. 



Second. Induce vomiting. A tablespoonful of mustard 

 in water should be given at once if the person can swallow. 

 Tickling the throat with the finger or a feather will gener- 

 ally cause vomiting. 



Third. Stimulate the patient with strong, hot coffee. 

 Carry out these measures slowly and deliberately. 



243. Forms of Opium. Opium is the dried juice of a kind of 

 poppy plant growing in Southern Asia. Laudanum is opium dissolved 

 in ten parts of alcohol. Paregoric is a more dilute solution of opium. 

 A teaspoonful of it contains one quarter of a grain of opium. About 

 one tenth of opium is a white substance called morphine. One quarter 

 of a grain of morphine will cause a deep sleep and contracted pupils 

 like a large dose of opium. 



244. Use of opium. Opium is used to quiet pain, pro- 

 duce sleep, and to quiet the intestine. 



Paregoric is sometimes used to quiet babies when they 

 cry. It produces indigestion and leaves the child worse 



