GLEANINGS— PHARMACEUTICAL,  ETC. 
399 
as  being  antidoted  by  coffee,  viz.  Opium,  atropia  and  bella- 
donna, aconite,  strychnia,  solania,  veratria,  oil  of  tansy,  co- 
lo  cynth,  conium,  Rhus  toxicodendron,  mushrooms,  cocculus 
Indicus,  black  hellebore,  henbane,  savin,  ergot,  bitter  sweet, 
tobacco  and  nicotina,  etc.  Dr.  L.  says—"  All  the  effects  of  these 
substances  are  almost  instantly  destroyed  by  administering  what 
we  call  <  Tincture  of  raw  Coffee,'  or  even  a  simple  decoction  of 
raw  or  green  coffee,  a  preparation  costing  about  nothing,  and 
which,  therefore,  ought  to  be  kept  ready  in  every  house,  and  in 
the  poorest  family.  The  following  is  the  very  simple  way  to  get 
that  tincture :  Take  a  quarter  of  a  pound  of  green  coffee  (com- 
mon Domingo  the  best)  and  boil  it  in  one  quart  of  water  till  it 
is  reduced  to  one  pint;  then  put  the  whole  (berries  and  liquid) 
in  a  quart  bottle,  add  one  pint  of  strong  alcohol,  and  shake  it 
from  time  to  time  a  little.  That's  all.  This  tincture  gets 
stronger  from  day  to  day,  and  will,  if  the  bottle  is  well  corked, 
keep  for  many  years  without  changing.  If  to  the  pint  of 
alcohol  (about  ten  minutes  before  mixing  it  with  the  coffee  de- 
coction) you  add  a  little  spirit  of  camphor,  say  two  tablespoons- 
ful,  you  will  double  and  triple  the  anti-poisonous  quality  of  the 
tincture."  Dr.  Langenschwartz  further  says;  "The  compound 
saving-tincture  (of  green  coffee  and  camphor)  is  in  the  respective 
cases  of  poisoning  to  be  administered  naturally  and  by  clyster ; 
the  internal  dose  about  ten  to  twelve  drops  in  a  teaspoonful  of 
water  every  five  minutes,  and  every  fifteen  minutes  when  the 
patient  begins  to  recover.  Larger,  and  even  very  large  doses 
may  be  given  if  the  danger  of  life  is  imminent." 
The  author  found  roasted  coffee  in  most  cases  without  effect. 
Dr.  L.  gives  no  cases,  all  is  simple  assertion ;— moreover,  so 
many  violent  poisons,  some  of  which  are  usually  considered  as 
almost  without  antidotes,  are  alleged  to  be  wholly  controlled, 
and  several  mineral  poisons  like  potash,  phosphorus,  baryta, 
iodine,  equally  counteracted,  that  we  fear  he  has  claimed  too 
much  power  and  efficiency  for  his  counter-poison.  In  view  of 
the  frequent  accidents  with  the  vegetable  alkaloids,  and  espe- 
cially aconite  and  strychnia,  the  suggestion  of  Dr.  L.  is  well 
worth  trying  to  test  the  reality  of  its  alleged  power. 
Dr.  Marshall  Hall's  "Ready  Method." — The  instructions 
published  by  Dr.  Marshall  Hall  for  reviving  asphyxiated  persons 
