198 CANTHARIS VESICATORIA. 



irritation of the bladder and urinary organs, distressing priapism 

 and strangury, generally connected with suppression of urine and 

 the discharge of blood from the urethra. If these symptoms be 

 not relieved, they are followed by convulsions, delirium, tetanus, 

 syncope, and death. On dissection, the brain is found gorged with 

 blood, the stomach is inflamed, and generally the green shining 

 particles of the powdered flies may be discernible, if it be adminis- 

 tered in the form of powder. The omentum and peritoneum also, 

 and the intestines, kidneys, ureters, bladder, and internal parts of 

 generation, exhibit marks of inflammation. As no antidote has 

 yet been discovered, the first step to be adopted is to evacuate the 

 poison by emetics, and if vomiting has already begun it is to be 

 encouraged by copious draughts of warm mucilaginous liquors. 

 The warm bath will be found useful, and on the principle of remov- 

 ing inflammation it will be advisable to employ copious bleeding, 

 together with leeches, and opiate frictions to the region of the 

 stomach. 



Medical Properties and Uses. — The common Blister-Flies 

 internally are powerfully stimulant and diuretic ; externally, they 

 inflame and excoriate the skin, and are hence used as the basis of 

 the common vesicatories. They appear to have been employed as 

 an internal remedy so early as the time of Hippocrates, who pre- 

 scribed them chiefly in cases of dropsy and amenorrhoea. Their 

 active matter seems to have a peculiar determination to the urinary 

 organs, as, even from external application, strangury is sometimes 

 induced. They have, however, been occasionally employed with 

 advantage, in very small doses continued for sometime, in obstinate 

 gleet and leucorrhoea, incontinence of urine, arising from paralysis 

 of the sphincter vesica?, a state which the Cantharidcs, by its local 

 action, is calculated to remove. Its action requires to be mode- 

 rated by the free use of diluents. It has also been employed in 

 some chronic cutaneous affections, joined with the decoction of 

 elm-bark or sarsaparilla, and as a stimulant in amenorrhoea. In 

 nephritic cases attended with inflammation, in calculus of the blad- 

 der, and occasionally in pregnancy, the use of this active stimulant 

 is not to be admitted. 



It is chiefly used externally as an epispastic. 



