Botanic Remedies 165 



species. In the human species ergot stimulates 

 uterine contraction and may produce peripheral 

 gangrene. Arterial and plain muscle are little in- 

 fluenced, if at all. There is also a toxic action, noted 

 in the previous paragraph. 



The amines there are two of them have an 

 adrenalin action, but much weaker than adrenalin; 

 they cause a rise of blood-pressure due to arterial 

 constriction and cardio-acceleration. Plain muscle 

 is stimulated by the amine existing in smallest 

 amount; and it may induce anaphylactic shock 

 similar to that produced by the injection of foreign 

 protein in the form of decoctions of animal organs. 

 This raises the interesting, but as yet unsolved, 

 question of the effects upon the human organism 

 of the injection of vegetable protein. 



THERAPEUTICS. Ergot stimulates contraction of 

 the uterine muscle, rendering it highly useful in 

 post-partum hemorrhage. The drug is little used 

 except in the third stage of labor, pituitrin being 

 preferable in facilitating labor in uterine inertia. 

 One must be careful not to induce hour-glass con- 

 traction and thus incarcerate the secundines. The 

 technic of ergot employment is so fully presented 

 in works on obstetrics that details may be omitted 

 here. 



In shock ergot does not serve so well as does 

 strychnine, as it is too slow in action. There is no 

 rational basis for its use in enuresis and chorea. 



Hemorrhage, other than post-partum, is not well 

 met with ergot; it causes no greater vaso-constric- 

 tion at the bleeding point than elsewhere, and cer- 

 tainly it is not wise to raise blood-pressure in hemor- 

 rhage. Ergot has a theoretical value in the treat- 



