99Q 



18G9.] -^^^ [Wood. 



Once or twice during a paroxysm, I had what might he called night-mare 

 sensations ; I felt myself mounting upwards, expanding, dilating, 

 dissolving into the wide confines of space, overwhelmed by a horrible, 

 rending, imutterable despair. Then with tremendous effort, I seemed to 

 shake this off, and to start up with the shuddering thought, next time 

 you will not be able to throw this off, and what then ! Under the influ- 

 ence of an emetic I vomited freely without nausea and without much 

 relief. About midnight, at the suggestion of the doctors, I went up 

 stairs to bed. My legs and feet seemed so heavy I could scarcely move 

 them, and it was as much as I could do to walk with help. I have no re- 

 collection, whatever, of being undressed, but am told I went immediately 

 to sleep. When I awoke early in the morning, my mind was at first clear, 

 but in a few minutes the paroxysms, similar to those of the evening, came 

 on again, and recurred at more or less brief intervals until late in the 

 afternoon. All of the day there was marked ansBsthesia of the skin. 



At no time were there any aphrodisiac feelings produced. There was 

 a marked increase of the urinary secretion. There were no after effects, 

 such as nausea, headache, or constipation of the bowels. 



The following notes were kindly furnished by Dr. Thomas: "I was 

 called at 87 p. m. to Dr. H. C. Wood, and was informed he had taken an 

 over-dose of extract-cannab. indie. I found him presenting at first glance, 

 the mental condition and excited manner of mild alcoholic intoxication. 

 His powers of ratiocination were but slightly impaired. The most promi- 

 nent psychological manifestation was a constant and overwhelming dread 

 of impending death, Avhich no amount of assurance could relieve for more 

 than an instant ; with this was combined an almost entire loss of the fac- 

 ulty of appreciating time — moments seeming to his disturbed conscious- 

 ness to be hours in length. He stood and walked without difficulty, and 

 his voice was natural in tone and accent. Pupils widely though not com- 

 pletely dilated ; pulse moderately full, and numbering 106 beats per min- 

 ute, increasing in frequency to 118 per minute within the following twenty 

 minutes and becoming decidedly weaker. The extremities were cool and 

 growing colder. Zinci Sulph. was now ordered with the view of evacuating 

 the stomach of any of the drug which might remain unabsorbed, as well 

 as for any possible revulsive influence it might exert. At ten minutes after 

 9, when the emetic was obtained, the pulse was found to have increased in 

 frequency still farther (13G) and to have proportionately decreased in vol- 

 ume. Within 15 minutes following, the feet meantime having been soaked 

 in hot mustard water, free emesis took place, and the pulse rapidly fell, 

 improving at the same time in quality. At 10.15 it was 104 per minute, 

 and it remained about the same for the succeeding hour. The warmth 

 of skin was at this time restored. The mental state varied but little 

 throughout. At 11.15 I resigned the case to Dr. Allen." 



The foregoing experiment proves that the Kentucky hemp does contain 

 an appreciable quantity of the resinous active principle or principles, but 

 it was merely tentative, and was not intended to determine the jnoportion- 

 ate amount. 



In order to determine the proportion of extract obtainable, the follow- 

 ing experiment was performed : 



