THE NERVOUS SYSTEM 243 



innocent way to relieve pain or to secure rest. But before 

 he realizes his peril, he finds that it is all but impossible to 

 leave off its use. 



331. Caution in the Household Use of Opium. Never rub 

 any form of opium upon an abraded surface to relieve pain . 

 It may be rapidly taken up by the blood. Rubbing the 

 gums of teething children with paregoric, putting laudanum 

 into a child's aching tooth or ear, giving either preparation 

 for "summer complaints," and many other ways of using 

 opium, are dangerous practices. Laudanum that has been 

 kept in the house for a long time may become much 

 stronger than at first, on account of the evaporation of 

 the alcohol. 



The so-called soothing sirups and cough or cholera mix- 

 tures often given to infants and young children all contain 

 more or less of some form of opium. The child is simply 

 drugged, and not cured, however "soothing" the effect 

 may be. The only safe rule is, never to put opium on the 

 list of home remedies. 



332. Chloral. Chloral is a powerful drug, capable, in 

 small doses, of producing sleep. This action is probably 

 due to its direct effect upon the brain. In full doses it 

 depresses the action of the nerve centers of the brain and 

 spinal cord. 



Because chloral is known to induce sleep, especially in 

 those who suffer from excessive mental strain, or from 

 anxiety, or other like cause, it has come, of late years, to 

 be used often without a physician's advice. 



333. The Chloral Habit. Like all narcotics, the chloral 

 dose must be steadily increased to get the required effect. 

 The chloral habit is soon formed, and the person becomes a 

 slave to a dangerous drug. Without it, the chloral eater 



