Narcotic Poisons. 151 



/«Aa/i?rfitpro<iucesintoxication, excitement, general anaesthesia 

 and finally collapse. In rabbits it causes intense excitement, 

 giddiness, swaying from side to side, and reckless leaps forward, 

 followed by profound sleep with deep stertor, and paraplegia for 

 half an hour after the return of consciousness (Oliver). , When 

 taken for a long time in small quantity it caused weakness, 

 emaciation, tremors, paraplegia, and death in convulsions. There 

 was polyuria, with excess of sugar but neither urea nor albujnin. 

 The large cells in the motor areas of the brain, when stained by 

 Golgi's method, showed the axis cylinder distorted and varicose, 

 and the cytoplasm stained unequally. The action on dogs was 

 essentially the same, and in neither animal were changes in the 

 blood globules observed (Oliver). 



In man slow poisoning caused headache and exhilerant intoxi- 

 cation, followed by depression, mental apathy, dullness, loss of 

 memory, impaired vision, hearing, sexual desire and muscular 

 power. Cramps are common (Delpech, Curtis). 



Treatment consists in giving pure air, good food, massage, 

 galvanism, tonics, and for the persistent nervous failure phos- 

 phorus. 



NARCOTIC POISONS. 



Among narcotics and other poisons affecting the nervous 

 system may be named the following : 



Wild poppy which produces rabiform symptoms or coma ; 

 also its alkaloids, and especially opium. 



Buckwheat when in flour : causes intoxication like alcohol. 



Hyoscyamus, belladonna, stramonium, bittersweet, pro- 

 duce weakness, paresis and palsy. 



Cannabis indica causes sluggishness, vertigo and staggering 

 in carnivora. Steeping of hemp in running streams is forbidden 

 in some warm climates. Even flax is claimed to have caused 

 staggering and convulsions. 



Skunk cabbage (dracontium), causes vertigo, nausea and 

 vomiting. 



\Arild garlic produces rabiform attacks. 



Valerian leads to cerebral disorder — notorious in cats. 



Hellebore causes coma, stupor, weakness and convulsions. 



