VOL. LI.] PHILOSOPHICAL TRANSACTIONS. 477 



too small a discharge of the lochia after lying-in, and a redundancy of milk, 

 the consequence of her not suckling her child. On the 18th day after her de- 

 livery, by the mistake of her nurse, she took, instead of a draught that was or- 

 dered for her, 2 oz. of the tincture of euphorbium.* The shocking symptoms 

 which immediately ensued, violent suffocation, and an intolerable burning pain 

 in the mouth, throat, and stomach, soon discovered the horrible mistake. Dr. 

 W. was in the room in about 4 or 5 minutes after the accident happened, unap- 

 })rised of the nature of it, and therefore the more shocked, when he found every 

 body in tears of despair, offering no means of relief, as they had no hopes of 

 success. 



When made acquainted with what had happened, it occurred to him, that 

 warm water and oil were the likeliest things to correct and expell the poison. 

 He imagined a large quantity of warm water might probably make the patient 

 vomit, and in some measure lielp to discharge the caustic tincture. He was 

 sure the water would at the same time mitigate its violence, by diluting it, and 

 by precipitating the acrid gum from the spirit, by which it would necessarily be 

 hindered from touching the membranes of the stomach and bowels in so many 

 points, and from penetrating into their substance. 



There was happily a large tea kettle of water on the fire, of which, being first 

 qualified with a proper quantity of cold water, he immediately gave the patient a 

 basin lukewarm, and repeated it as fast as possible, conjuring her to use her ut- 

 most resolution to swallow ; which she certainly did in a most surprising manner. 

 After the 3d basin, she vomited very freely : what was brought up smelt very 

 strong of the camphor, and seemed to contain a good deal of the tincture, with 

 the gum separated from the spirit. She still drank on, but complained of ex- 

 cessive burning and torture in her stomach, crying out continually she was 

 burnt to death. 



He had then recourse to oil between whiles, in the quantity of 2 or 3 oz. at 

 a time ; and drenched her plentifully sometimes with oil and sometimes with 

 water. She vomited very copiously, and he repeated the oil and water inter- 

 changeably, till she had taken about 2 gallons of water and a flask of oil in a 

 very short time.-j- 



* The tincture was thus madej R, Gum, Euphorb. 5ij. Spt. Vin. rectif. Jij, Sol. add. Camph. 

 5ij. The camphor was ordered to weaken the caustic quality of the tincture, which being applied 

 to a horse's leg without the camphor had made a blemish. 



+ Dr. Sydenham, being called to a man, who had taken mercur. sublim. corros- about an hour 

 before the doctor saw him, the poison having affected his lips, 8fc. only ordered water to be taken in 

 a large quantity, and thrown up copiously in glisters. But as the corrosive sublimate of mercury 

 is to be considered as a poison, whose caustic acrimony consists in a saline principle, and water is 

 the proper solvent, diluent, and vehicle of all saline substances, the propriety of Sydenham's order- 

 ing water alone is sufficiently apparent. Poisons of a saline nature being dissolved in the fluids of 



