90 Medical Chemistry. 
In another patient, in the last stage of consumption, 1 
was given in very small portions, but it appeared rather to 
aggravate the cough, and its use was abandoned; the pa- 
tient died soon after: it does not appear that in this case it 
accelerated the death, which seems to have occurred be- 
cause the disease had run its course. It does not seem to 
be useful in the last stage of consumption, but, perhaps it 
would be difficult to point out any thing else that is. 
Dr. Kerkaradec relates another case, of a child of seven 
years, which for five months was afflicted witha dry cough, 
constant and very wearing, attended by pain in the left side 
of the chest, by fever, &c. ‘The usual remedies were ap- 
plied for three months, without success, when the whoop- 
ing cough supervened in a violent degree, and after running 
on three months, was spontaneously cured. The dry 
cough then returned, and alter a month more, was found to 
be constant ; the pain in the side recurred, and the left side 
of the chest gave a bad sound; the tongue was white—the 
appetite gone—-the bowels were constipated—enlarged, 
and somewhat sensible to the touch; there was a constant 
quickness of pulse, considerable fever, a tendency to drow- 
siness, and a severe pain in the-head. ‘The usual remedies 
were applied with some mitigation of the symptoms, but the 
cough constantly preserved its peculiar character. The 
prussic acid was then administered, twelve drops in three 
days, taken by spoonfulls once in two hours. (“La dose 
fut d’une cuillerée @ café toutes les deux heures.” (At 
the end of three days, the cough began to dimimish, and 
three potions more, into which there entered fifteen drops 
of the medicine, completed the cure, and at ihe end of seven 
months there had been no return of the complaint. 
A little girl three and a half years old had a whooping 
cough of five months standing—the fits of coughing were 
very violent, and at least twelve ina day, producing mu- 
cous expectoration, with a great deal of blood ; the disease 
was assuaged by leeches applied to the left side of the chest, 
where they were indicated by the sound ; the blood ceased 
to appear, and the cough was less frequent, and less violent. 
The prussic acid, twelve or fifteen drops, administered in 
the usual manner,* in potions, removed the cough after twe 
potions, and in twelve days it wholly disappeared. 
= Viz. where twelve were employed before. 
