274     SEVERAL  MODES  OF  ADMINISTERING  OLEUM  MORRHUiE. 
utterly  rejected  the  oil  as  to  have  severe  seasons  of  nausea  come 
on  even  on  "mentioning  oil  to  them." 
I  commenced  by  inducing  these  ladies  to  take  five  drops  of 
oil  and  lime  water  three  times  a  day.  The  effect  was  encourag- 
ing. The  doses  were  gradually  increased,  and  in  eight  days 
one  did  take  a  teaspoonful  at  a  dose.  In  another  the  same 
dose  was  tolerated  in  two  weeks.  And  the  third  succeeded  in 
taking  the  same  quantity  in  twenty-three  days.  At  the  expira- 
tion of  forty  days  each  took  a  table-spoonful  three  times  per 
diem  without  any  effort.  These  were  the  worst  cases  that  have 
fallen  under  my  care. 
The  second  is  a  specific  form  of  dyspepsia  engendered  in  the 
submucus  tissue  of  the  stomach.  The  digestive  force  appears 
to  be  seriously  disturbed.  Acid  emitations,  or  cardialgia,  or  a 
peculiar  form  of  neuralgia  of  the  organ  occurs,  or  the  patient 
complains  of  a  disagreeable  weight  in  the  "  pit  of  the  stomach," 
or  the  action  of  the  heart  is  disturbed  both  in  frequency  and 
regularity.  The  sympathetic  distribution  coming  from  the 
semilunar  ganglion  and  the  lolor  plexus  and  the  pneumogastric 
nerve,  form  a  dense  net-work  of  nerve  tissue  in  the  stomach. 
When  any  derangement  is  present,  more  particularly  in  the 
sympathetic  centers,  cod  oil  appears  to  be  most  obnoxious,  and 
increases  all  the  difficulty.  This  is  overcome  readily  by  the 
acetum  opii  ("  Black  drop,")  or  by  acetate  of  morphia. 
I  have  found  the  union  of  the  oil  with  lime  water  just  suf- 
ficient to  form  a  soap,  and  flavored  with  oil  of  bitter-almonds 
to  be  an  excellent  form.  A  gentleman  now  under  my  care, 
showed  so  severe  a  front  that  I  despaired  of  even  succeeding  to 
induce  him  to  keep  the  oil  down.  At  length  I  received  a  chest 
of  oil  from  John  C.  Baker  &  Co.,  Philadelphia;  this  oil  set  re- 
markably well  on  his  stomach.  This  gentleman  informed  me 
that  his  stomach  tolerated  the  Philadelphia  oil  in  a  remarkable 
manner. 
But  opium  appears  to  quiet  the  abnormal  condition  of  the 
sympathetic  ganglion,  especially  the  prevertebral  center  in 
front  of  the  aorta  and  the  plexus  of  the  celiac  axis.  Satura- 
ted tincture  of  lobelia  seeds,  in  very  small  dose,  far  short  of 
nausea,  with  the  morphia  act  remarkably  well  in  many  cases. 
