600 IMPORTANT POISONS AND THEIR TREATMENT 



ther course of the afEection, jaundice and nephritis occur. The disease is 

 very serious. Seventy- five per cent, of those attacked die. Treatment : Gas- 

 tric lavage, venesection with subsequent salt infusion, and subcutaneous injec- 

 tion of strychnin. 



Poisoning with agaeicus muscaeius must also be considered. The symp- 

 toms are vomiting, hemorrhagic diarrhea, a condition resembling alcohol in- 

 toxication, followed by tonic and clonic spasms to which the patient may suc- 

 cumb in a few hours or a few days. The prognosis is decidedly more favorable 

 than in poisoning with agaricus phalloides. Treatment: Gastric lavage, 

 emetics, apomorphin, then tannin; -perhaps also venesection and normal salt 

 infusion. 



In poisoning with hebeloma, on account of the muscarin-like effect, injec- 

 tions of atropin are in place. 



We must still refer to poisoning with mushrooms. The edible mushroom 

 is non-toxic. All poisonings of this kind are due to the toxic mushroom, 

 which greatly resembles it. 



The symptoms are similar to those produced by amanita phalloides. But 

 the course is generally more favorable and briefer. The treatment is the same 

 as in poisoning with amanita phalloides. 



It must be borne in mind that non-toxic mushrooms may also give rise 

 to poisoning, if they have decomposed. The best prophylaxis against mush- 

 room poisoning is proper instruction at school in the recognition of the poison- 

 ous mushrooms ; the inspectors in markets should by strict supervision prevent 

 the sale of the toad-stool which so closely resembles the non-toxic mushroom. 



In discussing fish poisoning we may be brief. It is of but little conse- 

 quence. If the fish itself is non-poisonous, poisoning is only brought about 

 by the fact that it was already decomposed when eaten. Such poisoning will 

 be included under meat poisoning. 



Fish, however, may be. poisonous. For example, eel blood is poisonous, the 

 roe of the barbel and of the pike (esox lucius) contains toxic substances, and 

 this is also said to be true of the head of the sheat fish (silurus glanis). The 

 tetrodon varieties indigenous to Japan contain a poison resembling curare. 

 The ingestion of fish may also have a deleterious effect if the fish itself has 

 been diseased (bacillary infection, plasmodia, invasion of entozoa). The his- 

 tory will for the most part point to the diagnosis. The symptoms are mani- 

 fold; usually the signs of gastritis toxica dominate the situation, but nervous 

 phenomena such as pupillary symptoms, spasms and unconsciousness also 

 appear. The course of the disease is generally severe, and frequently the 

 termination is fatal. 



The treatment consists in gastric lavage, the earlier performed the better; 

 but this should also be employed in the later stages if vomiting is present. 

 Toxic gastroenteritis is to be relieved by opiates and mucilaginous drinks. 



Oysters and mussels may produce similar effects, if the bivalves were 

 themselves diseased, or had fed on poisonous substances. 



In conclusion, we proceed to the discussion of meat poisoning. 



Although the various forms of meat poisoning differ in their etiology, 

 there is but little difference in their pathology; they may be due to eating 



