POISONING  BY'  CYANIDE  OF  POTASSIUM.  1^9 
to  the  drug  store,  and  at  two  o'clock  of  the  same  afternoon  I 
gave  the  first  signs  of  returning  consciousness.  The  medical 
attendant  who  first  saw  me  told  me  that  he  found  me  lying  on 
the  floor  in  a  deep  stupor  ;  a  reddish  froth  covered  my  mouth 
and  nose ;  my  face  looked  livid  and  bloated ;  the  pulse  was 
hardly  perceptible  ;  respiration  was  heavy  and  labored,  and  pro- 
duced the  blowing  of  bubbles  at  the  mouth ;  urine  and  feces 
came  away  involuntarily.  About  two  pints  of  blood  were  taken 
from  my  arm  without  any  mitigation  of  the  symptoms.  I  clearly 
recollect  that,  some  time  before  I  had  fully  recovered  from  the 
effects  of  the  poison,  I  struggled  desperately  for  breath,  and 
that  the  horrible  conviction  of  impending  suffocation,  though 
ignorant  of  its  cause,  did  not  leave  me  for  a  single  moment. 
About  the  same  time  I  recognized  the  presence  of  my  wife  and 
brother,  but  the  violence  of  the  asthmatic  symptoms  prevented 
me  from  speaking  to  them.  This  dreadful  smothering  sensation 
seemed  to  me  to  have  continued  for  a  great  length  of  time, 
though  I  learned  afterwards  that  this  stage  lasted  hardly  thirty 
minutes.  I  also  remember  the  effects  of  the  pungent  smell  of 
carbonate  of  ammonia,  which  was  held  frequently  to  my  nose, 
and  I  shall  never  forget  the  sensation  of  imminent  suffocation 
which  it  produced.  The  efforts  I  made  to  prevent  a  repetition 
of  it  must  have  been  wild  and  furious,  for  I  recollect  that  my 
arms  and  legs  were  held  tight  by  some  of  the  bystanders  while 
the  ammonia  was  again  applied.  As  soon  as  I  felt  the  first  dis- 
position to  vomit  my  conciousness  was  perfectly  restored,  and  I 
have  the  indelible  recollection  of  the  anxiety  I  felt,  lest  the  act 
of  vomiting  would  smother  me  to  death.  The  first  ineffectual 
attempts  at  emesis  did  in  fact  increase  the  asthma.  To  my 
greatest  joy,  or  rather  surprise,  the  copious  evacuation  of  the 
contents  of  my  stomach,  consisting  of  an  undigested  breakfast, 
was  instantly  followed  by  a  complete  cessation  of  all  the  symp- 
toms. The  relief  was  prompt  and  permanent.  It  is  hardly  to 
be  presumed  that  the  emetic  I  had  taken  five  hours  before  caused 
the  vomiting,  and,  besides,  authors  state  that  recovery  is  usually 
preceded  by  emesis. 
The  circumstance  which  led  to  the  discovery  of  the  kind  of 
poison  I  had  taken,  and  which  cost  the  life  of  the  druggist,  is 
somewhat  curious.    It  appears  that  when  Mr.  Eckert  heard  that 
