MEDICINAL USES 551 



After death the lungs are collapsed, and contain little 

 blood ; the trachea and bronchi contain excess of frothy 

 mucus, accumulating owing to paralysis of the respiratory 

 muscles and glottis ; the cavities of the right heart are 

 greatly distended with blood ; the left heart is nearly empty ; 

 there are ecchymoses of the lungs, pleura, and endocardium ; 

 the digestive organs are normal. 



ANTIDOTES. If the patient is seen immediately after 

 swallowing the poison, endeavour should be made to empty 

 the stomach by an emetic or the stomach-pump. Tannin 

 and potassium iodide to precipitate the unabsorbed aconitine 

 and alcoholic and ammoniacal stimulants are given. Ether, 

 digitalis, or atropine should be used hypodermically to 

 antagonise the sedative effects of aconite on the heart and 

 breathing. Warmth, and infraction of the chest-walls 

 with stimulating liniment also assist in maintaining cardiac 

 and respiratory action. 



MEDICINAL USES. Aconite is more used by British than 

 by German practitioners. Frohner states that there are 

 other safer febrifuges. Cagny indicates its more general 

 use in France, and characterises it as the grand vaso-motor 

 sedative, slowing the circulation in acute fever. Kaufmann 

 designates it a very precious febrifuge in the early stages 

 of all internal inflammatory maladies, especially of the air- 

 passages. Medicinal doses, as already stated, within ten 

 or fifteen minutes reduce the number and lessen the force 

 and tension of the pulsations, lower abnormal temperature, 

 and relieve pain. In virtue of these actions, carefully 

 regulated doses are beneficial in fever and acute inflammation 

 in robust patients, as in the earlier stages of pleurisy, 

 enteritis, peritonitis, mammitis, lymphangitis, laminitis, and 

 acute rheumatism. Pharyngitis in horses, accompanied 

 by high fever, is sometimes controlled by a moderate dose, 

 followed at intervals of an hour by half -doses, repeated 

 until five or six have been given. In the more common 

 epizootic sore-throat of influenza, aconite is useless, and 

 indeed injurious on account of its depressant effect on the 

 heart. Although serviceable in pharyngitis, laryngitis, 

 and pleurisy, it is too reducing a remedy to be used in most 

 cases of bronchitis or pneumonia. 



