628 VEGETABLE DRUGS 



Injections should be made deeply into the muscular 

 tissue to avoid abscess. Ergot should be repeated frequently 

 to arrest hsemorrhage. 



Toxicology. — Enormous single doses are required to 

 poison animals or man. When as much as two drachms of 

 ergot to the pound, live weight, are given to dogs, death is not 

 constant. Three ounces, however, have proved fatal to small 

 dogs. Acute poisoning is characterized by vomiting (in dogs), 

 profuse salivation, dilation of the pupils, rapid breathing, 

 and frequent pulse. The animal cries out, has convulsive 

 twitchings, staggering gait, paraplegia, intense thirst, and 

 coma, terminating in death. Horses, cattle, and sheep are 

 unaffected by any ordinary quantity of the drug. 



Chronic poisoning or ergotism rarely occurs in animals 

 owing to continuous ingestion of ergotized grains. It is 

 characterized by gastro-intestinal indigestion, with nausea, 

 ' vomiting, colic, diarrhoea or constipation, and abortion 

 ensues in pregnant animals. In addition to gastro-intestinal 

 irritation the symptoms naturally assume two forms : 1, 

 the gangrenous form ; 2, the spasmodic form. In the 

 first variety of ergotism there are coldness and anaesthesia 

 of the extremities, including the feet, ears, and tail of quadru- 

 peds ; the comb, tongue and beak of birds, — followed by the 

 appearance of passive congestion, blebs, and dry gangrene 

 in the vicinity of these parts. The hoofs and beaks often 

 drop off. Death ensues from general exhaustion. In the 

 spasmodic form are seen tonic contraction of the flexor 

 tendons of the limbs and anaesthesia of the extremities ; 

 muscular trembling and general tetanic spasm, with opistho- 

 tonos, convulsions and delirium. Deat'h also occurs from 

 asthenia. 



Uses. — Two therapeutic indications for the use of ergot 

 can be directly deduced from its physiological actions : 1, 

 to cause uterine contraction ; 2, to produce general vascular 

 contraction. 



1. Ergot is occasionally of service in simple uterine 

 inertia when there is no malposition of the foetus, or mechan- 

 ical obstruction (pelvic deformity, rigid os uteri) to its 



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