SURGERY. 



CORROSIVE SUBLIMATE (Perchloride of Mercury). A corrosive metallic poison. 



Symptoms. An acrid metallic taste, burning throat, 

 salivation, nausea, and vomiting of blood ; diarrhoea ; 

 tenesmus ; the pulse small, quick, and hard ; faint ings ; 

 debility ; difficult respiration ; cold sweats ; cramps of 

 all the members ; convulsions ; and death. 



Treatment. White of egg, diluted in water, given 

 in large doses ; a mixture of soap and gluten of white 

 flour ; warm bath ; and to subsist upon broth, milk, 

 and demulcent fluids entirely. The same treatment 



FUNGI Poisonous mushrooms, aero-narcotic vegetable poisons. 



is suitable in poisoning by verdigris. 



Symptoms. Nausea, vomiting, and purging ; 

 cramp of the lower extremities ; convulsions ; an un- 

 quenchable thirst; delirium; coma; and death. The 

 intellect remains entire to the last moment of life. 



HEMLOCK A narcotic vegetable poison. 



Symptoms. Sickness ; difficulty of respiration ; 

 great anxiety ; vertigo ; delirium, which often rises to 

 maniacal frenzy ; dilatation of the pupils ; stupor ; 

 convulsions ; and death. 



MONKSHOOD An aero-narcotic poison. 



Symptoms. Vomiting ; heat in the throat ; 

 attempts to swallow ; debility ; weak action of heart ; 

 disordered vision ; contracted pupil ; bloody stools ; 

 collapse ; generally no convulsions. 



Treatment. Three or four grains of tartar emetic ; 

 castor-oil. After the stomach is emptied, give small 

 doses of ether in mucilage, diluted with vinegar. 

 The debility must be treated with quinine and port 

 wine, if a fatal issue is to be averted. 



Treatment. Evacuate the stomach by 20 grains of 

 sulphate of zinc, dissolved in an ounce of water ; the 

 affusion of cold water on the head ; and administer 

 vinegar and water. 



Treatment. Evacuate the substance from the 

 stomach, then administer freely acidulous fluids. 

 External warmth ; sinapisms. Small doses of tincture 

 of digitalis. 



Nux-VOMlCA (Strychnia) An aero-narcotic vegetable poison. 



Symptoms. Sensation of inebriety ; vertigo ; te- 

 tanic twitchings ; rigidity of the limbs and arms ; 

 extreme difficulty of respiration, with excruciating pain 

 under the breast -bone ; asphyxia, and death, 



OPIUM A narcotic vegetable poison. 



Symptoms. Drowsiness and stupor, followed by 

 delirium, pallid countenance, sighing, deep stertorous 

 breathing, cold sweats, coma, and death. The hydro- 

 chlorate of morphia, one of the active principles of 

 opium, in doses of 3 to 6 grains, causes headache, 

 vomiting, sweats, and sometimes epileptiform con- 

 vulsions. 



OXALIC ACID A corrosive poison. 



Symptoms. Burning pain in the stomach, nausea, 

 and severe but ineffectual efforts to vomit ; great 

 dilatation of the pupils ; vertigo, convulsions, and 

 death. 



Treatment. Evacuate the stomach and bowels. 

 Give 25 grains of a watery solution of the hydrate of 

 chloral at once, and another dose of 25 grains in an 

 hour if required. 



Treatment. Use the stomach-pump, or an emetic 

 consisting of 3ss of zinc. Vomiting should be kept 

 up by irritating the throat ; use an astringent infusion 

 instead of water with the stomach-pump. Give large 

 draughts of very strong tea or coffee, keeping awake 

 the sufferer ; a tepid bath ; and dash cold water on 

 the head, to rouse sensibility. 



Treatment. Administer, as soon as possible, a 

 mixture of chalk and water, then evacuate the 

 oxalate of lime thus formed, by exciting vomiting, 

 by copious dilution, and irritating the fauces. 



PRUSSIC or HYDROCYANIC ACID A sedative poison. 



Symptoms. If the dose be large, death is the 

 immediate result ; but if it does not exceed ten to 

 twenty drops of the solution used in medicine, it is 

 followed by stupor, nausea, faintness, loss of sight, 

 difficult respiration, dilated pupils, small pulse, 

 syncope, and death. 



TARTAR EMETIC (Potassio-tartrate of Antimony). An irritant poison. 



Treatment. Chlorine water in doses of fl3ij in 

 fl^j of water ; chlorine, largely diluted with air, 

 inhaled ; hot brandy and water, or camphor mixture, 

 combined with liquor ammonia ; oil of turpentine ; 

 cold affusion ; artificial respiration. 



Symptoms. Nausea; vomiting; hiccough; burn- 

 ing in the pit of the stomach ; small, hard pulse ; 

 syncope ; difficult respiration ; vertigo ; insensibility 

 to external stimulants ; cramps ; prostration of 

 strength ; death. 



Treatment. Dilute with tepid infusion of nils, 

 and evacuate by the stomach-pump; give large dose* 

 of yellow cinchona bark, to excite vomiting by their 

 bulk. 



NURSING. 



Nursing is a matter of the greatest importance 

 in the treatment of the sick. Although it is 

 impossible to frame a series of rules applicable 

 to all cases, it will be always necessary, as far as 

 possible, to attend to the following points : i. 

 Cleanliness. The person of the patient, the bed, 

 the room, and the nurse should be clean. This 

 is often a very difficult task, but it should be 

 resolutely undertaken. All excrements should be 

 at once taken from the room, and cast into the 

 closet or other receptacle. In the case of infec- 

 tious diseases, the excrement should be acted on 

 with such a disinfectant as Condy's Fluid, and, if 

 possible, they should be buried in earth. The 

 utensils should always have in them a few ounces 



blankets should be removed as soon as possible, 

 and put into boiling water. The patient should 

 be kept dry, so as to prevent bed-sores. 2. Venti- 

 lation. As far as can be, there should be 

 a supply of fresh air. This is important in all 

 cases, but more especially in fevers. Fresh air 

 will be beneficial to the patient, and will also lessen 

 risk of infection to the nurse. 3. Quittiuss.Thc 

 sick-room should be kept quiet In many diseases, 

 the senses and perceptive faculties are so acute 

 that a little noise disturbs the patient There 

 should be no hurrying to and fro in a sick-room, 

 no slamming of doors, or loud ringing of bells. 

 4. Attention to Orders. The nurse is the doctor's 

 substitute during his absence. It is his or her 

 duty to see that the doctor's orders are carried out 

 The patient is to be supplied with food, drink, or 



of the disinfecting fluid. All soiled sheets and medicine at the specified times. 



The nurse is to 



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