378 VEGETABLE DRUGS 



belladonna, but is considerably lessened, or suppressed, in 

 poisoning by the drug. Experiments upon man show that 

 the urinary solids are increased : urea and uric acid to a 

 slight extent; sulphates and phosphates to a considerable 

 degree. 



Muscles and their Nerves.- — Atropine is an antispasmodic 

 in its effect upon involuntary muscle. It depresses both 

 the unstriped fibres and their motor nerve endings. Toxic 

 doses cause paralysis of the smooth muscles. Voluntary 

 muscles are not affected by any doses of atropine, although 

 the motor nerves controlling them are depressed by toxic 

 amounts of the alkaloid. In regard to the effect of the drug 

 upon the intestines, experimental and clinical evidence 

 appear to yield quite contradictory results. It seems 

 probable that any dose of atropine vs^ill depress, to a greater 

 or lesser extent, the activity of the intestinal muscle, but, as 

 there is at the same time depression of the inhibitory nerve 

 endings (splanchnics), there is also a tendency to increased 

 peristalsis through the greater sensitiveness of the gut to 

 stimuli. As the result of careful experiments, it appears 

 that minute doses of atropine stimulate the splanchnics 

 and lessen peristalsis ; that moderate doses increase 

 markedly peristalsis by paralyzing the splanchnics ; and 

 that large doses stop all movement of the bowel by 

 paralyzing the intestinal musculature. Other experiments 

 by reliable men and clinical experience negative these 

 conclusions. 



Atropine has been used successfully to produce three 

 diverse actions on the bowel : (1) to quiet intestinal move- 

 ment in inflammation of the bowels ; (2) to relieve spasm in 

 colic and spastic conditions generally ; (3) very commonly 

 to aid catharsis in sluggish states of the intestines. In 

 practice, small doses will often move the bowels effectively, 

 while, on the other hand, enormous doses (gr.1-12, instead 

 of the usual dose of gr.1-100) have recently proved success- 

 ful in moving the bowels in obstinate constipation (in 



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