CHAPTER III. 

 Medicines, Their Doses and Effects. 



Time; required for drugs to take effect, explanation of 

 the effect of drugs, doses of medicine according to age, 

 how often to give medicine, table of drugs, their doses, 

 and external and internal action. 



Sinp)UCH attention and studj' should be given to the quantity of a 

 fWl drug or medicine that should be administered and how often the 

 f \_ dose should be repeated. The effect that should be expected 

 ^G)^^ from the medicine and the time that should elapse before the 

 result should be noticeable. One not having accurate knowledge is 

 often through impatience tempted to repeat a dose before the medicine 

 has had time to operate, and thus an overdose is the result, which is 

 often more dangerous in its results, than the disease it is given to cure. 

 To aid in the better understanding of the effects of drugs and of the 

 table herein annexed which gives the action and doses of the various 

 medicinal substances, the following explanation of the usual terms used, 

 is given. 



EXPLANATION OF THE EFFECT OF DRUGS. 



Absorbent — that which takes up or absorbs. 



Alterative — that which changes the conditions and functions of 

 organs. 



Anaesthetic — that which causes the loss of feeling or sensation. 



Anodyne — ^that which sooths or diminishes pain. 



Antacid — that which kills the effect of acids. 



Anthelmintic — used to kill or expel worms. 



Antiperiodic — stops or holds back the return of spasms in periodic 

 diseases. 



