122 THE TREATMENT OF DISEASES. 



have obtained some most excellent results with these tablets, and they often succeed 

 when ordinary nitre-paper fails. Country asthmatics, who never suffer from their 

 complaint whilst in town, may prepare a regular London atmosphere by this means. 



Chloroform is a very good remedy for asthma, but it should be given with caution. 

 It is never safe to use it for yourself, but if there is any one to do it for you, well 

 and good. As an illustration of the danger of the self-administration of chloroform, 

 we may mention a sad accident that resulted from its use. A person who was in 

 the habit of curing his attacks of asthma by inhaling chlorof orm, when administering 

 it to himself one day, and when in a state of half -subjection to its influence, in order 

 to produce the full effect placed his handkerchief on the table, and buried his mouth 

 in it. His insensibility became deeper and deeper, till at last he was too far gone 

 to raise his head. He continued inspiring it, his coma became more and more 

 profound, and a short time after he was found in that position quite dead. It is 

 never necessary to produce insensibility with chloroform for the relief of asthma 

 at all events, this should never be done except by a medical man. The best way 

 is to get some one to put a few drops of cholorof orm on a pocket-handkerchief, 

 and give it yon as inhalation at the first sign of an attack coming on. If employed 

 in this way it proves extremely useful, but when the paroxysm is thoroughly 

 established it is a far more difficult matter to stop it. 



Chloral given in a twenty-grain dose during a paroxysm will often succeed in 

 arresting it. 



Nitrite of amyl used as an inhalation often proves very useful in asthma, cutting 

 short the attack almost immediately. Four or five drops may be poured into the 

 palm of the hand and slowly inhaled, or what is better, a good sniff or two may be 

 taken from the bottle. The full effect of the drug has not been obtained until it 

 causes flushing of the face and a sense of pulsation about the head. It can be used 

 in the manner we have indicated with perfect safety. 



Ipecacuanha is a remedy very commonly used for asthma. The case is related 

 of an asthmatic youth whose attacks generally awoke him about four or five in the 

 morning, and soon compelled him to sit up in bed and wheeze, or get up and lean 

 against the furniture for support. In two or three hours he would be able to dress 

 himself, and perhaps in the forenoon he would obtain a little relief. Towards 

 evening, however, he would get worse, and at bed-time there seemed to be no 

 chance of the paroxysm passing off. He would then take twenty grains of 

 ipecacuanha powder in a little water, would be sick, take a light supper, go to bed, 

 sleep like a child, and wake quite well in the morning. There is very little doubt 

 that if the ipecacuanha had been taken earlier it would have proved equally 

 efiicacious in cutting short the attacks, and would have saved some hours of acute 

 suffering. Remedies such as ipecacuanha, which act as depressants, should be given 

 as early as possible ; it is essentially bad policy waiting till the paroxysm has got 

 a firm hold before attacking it. Treatment is often powerless after the dyspnosa 

 has continued for some hours which would not have failed if resorted to quite at 

 the beginning. Moreover, even if the spasm does yield in spite of having been 

 some time established, the recovery is not so complete as if the remedy had been 

 applied immediately on its appearance. 



