THE LESIONS INDUCED BY POISONS. 357 



tis. The post-mortem lesions are sometimes marked, sometimes absent. There may be 

 chronic pachymeningitis, resulting in thickening of the dura mater and its close adher- 

 ence to the skull. The pia mater may be thickened and O3dematous. The brain may 

 be normal or cedematous or atrophied and show chromatolysis of the ganglion cells. 

 The lungs are frequently congested. The heart may be thickly covered with fat, and 

 its walls may be flabby and fatty. The stomach frequently presents the lesions of 

 chronic gastritis. The liter may be cirrhotic, with or without fatty infiltration. The 

 kidneys may present the lesions of albuminous or fatty degeneration or of chronic dif- 

 fuse nephritis. 



It should always be remembered, however, that all or a part of the above lesions 

 may be absent in the bodies of drunkards, and, furthermore, that the same lesions may 

 be due to other causes. 



Chloroform. 



Chloroform may cause death when it is taken in fluid form into thestoiri&ch or when 

 inhaled. Death from swallowing liquid chloroform is rare, and its immediate cause is 

 usually uncertain. The post-mortem changes are variable; sometimes there are no 

 lesions. In some cases there is simple reddening of the gastric mucous membrane; oc- 

 casionally there is acute gastritis or ulceration of the mucous membrane. The odor of 

 chloroform may or may not be evident. Discoloration and softening of the mucous 

 membrane of the pharynx, resophagus, and duodenum have been observed. There may 

 be general venous congestion; the heart may be flabby. Bubbles of gas have been 

 frequently seen in the blood, but this is not characteristic. Death from inhalation of 

 chloroform is a not infrequent accident in surgical practice. After death from inhala- 

 tion the results of the examination are usually quite negative. 



Ether. 



The inhalation of ether occasionally causes death. The post-mortem examina- 

 tion is negative. The ingestion of fluid ether may induce inflammation of the stomach. 

 The odor of ether may be perceptible if the autopsy is made soon after death. 



Chloral Hydrate. 



There are no characteristic post-mortem appearances after death by chloral. Hy- 

 persemia of the brain, and the odor of the drug, have been noticed. 



Strychnin Nux Vomica. 



The post-mortem appearances after poisoning by these drugs are not characteristic 

 and are inconstant. The body if usually relaxed at the time of death, but the rigor 

 mortis, as a rule, comes on early kud remains long. There may be congestion of the brain 

 and spinal cord, and sometimes of the lungs and stomach. Chromatolysis of the ganglion 

 cells is recorded. 



Animal Venom, etc. 



The poisons which may be introduced into the body through the bites of venomous 

 snakes and reptiles and the bites of insects cannot be considered in detail here. 1 



Abrin and ricin are examples of poisonous substances which induce in the body 

 lesions similar to those in certain infectious diseases (see page 201). 



Carbonic Oxide. 



This is one of the gases generated in the burning of charcoal, and forms one of the 

 ingredients of illuminating gas. The most characteristic post-mortem appearance is 

 the cherry -red color of the blood, and of the tissues and viscera which contain blood. 



'Consult Langmcn, "Poisonous Snakes and Snake Poison," Medical Record, Sep- 

 tember 15th, 1900; also Brown, "Twentieth Century Practice," vol. xx., bibliography. 



