PAT BODIES 591 



ent the solution becomes first turbid, then of a light red color. Normal blood 

 under these circumstances always assumes a dirty brownish hue. The pres- 

 ence of carbonic oxid hemoglobin in the blood, determined by the spectroscope, 

 may also facilitate the diagnosis. 



The treatment of this condition may be considered as fairly established. 

 The sovereign remedy is profuse venesection with a subsequent normal saline 

 infusion. This is to be followed by a lukewarm bath with cold affusions. 

 I have rarely found it necessary to proceed to the latter measures, for since 

 I have treated every case of carbonic oxid toxicosis by venesection and 

 normal salt infusion — whether by accident or as an actual result of therapy 

 — in my hospital service I have lost no case of carbonic oxid toxicosis. In pri- 

 vate practice, 'however, I had two cases of carbonic oxid poison, illuminating 

 gas, which ran their course with very peculiar nervous symptoms and after a 

 duration of several days terminated fatally. Chronic carbonic oxid poisoning 

 is a result of inhaling for a long time an atmosphere which contains slight 

 amounts of carbonic oxid. Dyspepsia, anemia, jaundice, splenic tumor, and 

 various symptoms of a nervous nature form the interesting pathology of this 

 toxicosis. 



We now pToceed to the discussion of poisoning by those substances which 

 belong to the fat bodies — the methane derivatives. 



The number of these derivatives is legion. Those interesting to the physi- 

 cian are few : namely, poisoning with ethyl alcohol, with sulphonal, trional and 

 tetronal. 



Ethyl alcohol is one of the most violent poisons. We may say that 

 there is no organ, no cell of the human organism, which is not subject to 

 deleterious influence from alcohol. 



Even a single acute intoxication with alcohol, a debauch, may cause incal- 

 culable harm and lead to severe damage of the organism. It may give rise to 

 a long-continued gastric catarrh, to symptoms of polyneuritis and of renal 

 irritation — although thousands and thousands of cases of acute alcohol 

 intoxication do not produce such serious consequences. The symptoms of alco- 

 hol intoxication are: At first a stage of exaltation, with a series of nervous 

 symptoms, among which spasms, which are observed particularly in infancy, 

 must be emphasized. This is followed by deep coma, in which the patient 

 succumbs to the toxicosis. The greatest enemy of such patients is cold, and a 

 low external temperature not infrequently causes death. 



The treatment of acute alcohol intoxication consists in the immediate 

 washing out of the stomach and the employment of lukewarm baths with cold 

 affusions. Cutaneous irritants, such as sinapisms, and even the subcutaneous 

 use of atropin, may be indicated. 



A much more serious affection, and one peculiar to alcoholics, is delirium 

 tremens. This is an acute psychosis which in persons addicted to alcohol fre- 

 quently appears as an ominous and dangerous complication of acute diseases. 



In the treatment of delirium trements chloral hydrate and opium in the 

 form of enemata are beneficial. 



The symptoms of chronic alcoholism are of grave import. Primarily, it 

 is the kidney which is attacked, and with the result particularly of contracted 



