PREPARATION  OF  IODINE  OF  ETHYL. 
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CAFFEIN  AS  AN  ANTIDOTE  TO  THE  POISONOUS  EFFECTS  OF 
OPIUM. 
Prof.  Henry  Fraser  Campbell,  of  Georgia,  in  the  Southern 
Medical  and  Surgical  Journal  for  May,  1860,  publishes  an  article 
on  this  subject.  After  giving  some  account  of  CafFein,  and  the 
use  of  coffee  as  an  excitant,  he  describes  the  patient  as  a  young 
man  24  years  old,  who  had,  in  a  fit  of  mental  depression,  swal- 
lowed an  ounce  and  a  half  of  laudanum,  nearly  an  hour  before 
his  visit,  8  P.  M.  Narcotism  had  proceeded  so  far  that  emetics 
could  not  be  employed ;  the  muscles  were  greatly  relaxed,  the 
tongue  falling  back  in  the  mouth  and  tending  to  stop  respiration, 
and  respiration  exceedingly  feeble.  Cold  water  was  applied,  to 
the  head  for  a  time,  artificial  respiration  resorted  to,  and  the  sto- 
mach pump  then  vigorously  applied.  At  12  o'clock  P.  M.  the  case 
seemed  more  hopeless,  respirations  but  four  to  the  minute. 
Artificial  respiration  in  a  sitting  posture  was  then  resorted  to, 
which  seemed  to  have  a  temporary  good  effect.  Dr.  Campbell  then 
thought  of  coffee,  but  the  patient  could  not  swallow,  and  he  doubt- 
ed the  propriety  of  using  the  stomach  tube  in  the  then  condition 
of  the  patient.  Finding  it  difficult  to  get  a  strong  infusion  of 
coffee,  the  idea  of  employing  caffein  occurred,  and  having  dissolv- 
ed 20  grains  in  a  quantity  of  infusion  of  coffee,  it  was  administer- 
ed as  an  injection  by  means  of  a  syringe.  In  half  an  hour  the  res- 
pirations were  eight  per  minute ;  an  hour  had  not  elapsed  before 
he  "  forcibly  jerked  his  left  arm  from  the  assistant"  and  told 
them  «  to  let  him  alone."  The  narcotism  slowly^assed  off,  and 
at  ten  o'clock  next  day,  when  Dr.  Campbell  called,  the  patient 
had  left  the  hotel  and  gone  home.  Although  the  effects  of  the 
narcotism  were  apparent  for  several  days,  they  soon  wore  off, 
and  the  patient  entirely  recovered.  Dr.  Campbell  believes  that 
the  caffein  in  this  case  was  largely  concerned  in  the  recovery, 
and  points  to  that  alkaloid  as  probably  possessing  valuable  an- 
tidotal powers  in  cases  of  narcotic  poisoning  from  this  drug. 
PREPARATION  OF  IODIDE  OF  ETHYL. 
Lautemann  (Annal.  der  Chem.  u.  Pharm.)  introduces  500 
grammes  of  iodine  and  as  much  absolute  alcohol  into  a  large 
21 
