Case of strychnia-poisoning, and recovery under treatment with calabar bean and chloroform / by John White.

  • White, John, M.D.
Date:
[1871]
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Case of strychnia-poisoning, and recovery under treatment with calabar bean and chloroform / by John White. Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material has been provided by The University of Glasgow Library. The original may be consulted at The University of Glasgow Library.

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    lO CASE OF STRTCHMA-POISOMG, AND RECOVERY UNDER TREATMENT WITH CALABAR BEAN AND CHLOROFORM, ♦ BY JOHN WHITE, M.D., Glasgow. . . FEOM THE aLASGOW MEDICAL JOUBNAL, AUQUST, 1871. c On the 15th August last, at 10.10 p.m., I was called on by Mr P., who said that he would like me to come quickly and see his servant maid, who, he thought, was either mad or dying. I went at once, and found the girl in bed in a prone posture, and in a state of tetanic spasm. On making examination, the smallest touch induced powerful spasmodic convulsions; in fact, a condition ending in complete Emprosthotonos. Her eyes stared wildly, her pupils were dilated, jaws firmly closed, respiration difficult and laborious, pulse very quick. The paroxysms returned every 30 or 40 seconds. During the paroxysms she seemed inclined to turn on her side, and the violence with which the jaws closed was suggestive of the action of a rat-trap. On the accession of each paroxysm she howled fearfuUy, and so loudly that neighbours above and below on the same stair were kept in a state of terror for several hours. 'Her cries seemed slightly to precede the muscular contraction. During the short inter- vals, I, with difficulty, elicited the information that she had taken Vermin kiUer, with suicidal intent, and also that she did not wish to recover. From the symptoms I had no difficulty in concluding that the poison had been some form of strychnia. I at once mixed a table-spoonful of mustard, ■with a tumbler full of water, and tried to force her to swallow it. From