A text-book of medicine : for students and practitioners.

  • Adolph Strümpell
Date:
1893
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: A text-book of medicine : for students and practitioners. Source: Wellcome Collection.

    1037/1108 page 1009
    of the drug is abrupt according to the practice of some, and gradual ■wTK . •r»^^^■n^^nrv^nlnS- that the minute blood-vessels become spasmodically contracted and thrombi form under the influence of the poison. The different symptoms are due m part to the different constituents of tbe ergot. The best known are sphacelinic acid, which is probably the cause of gangrenous ergotism and ergotine tabes; cornutme, which causes severe convulsive symptoms (convulsive ergotism) and uterine contrac- tions; and finally ergotiiiic acid. The treatment of chronic ergotism is purely symptomatic. 33. Poisonous Mushrooms.—1. Poisoning from morels: Fresh morels ( mor- cheln” or “ lorcheln ”) contain a poison which is readily soluble in hot water, and which evaporates completely if the morels be dried. Morels that have been dried or parboiled are therefore perfectly harmless, but the fresh ones are poisonous. The symptoms are nausea, vomiting, diarrhoea, headache, coma, and, above all, hmmoglobinsemia and haemoglobinuria {q. n.), associated with which is a hcematogenous icterus. In severe cases death occurs, ushered in by convulsions. Treatment is symptomatic, and includes the administration of emetics, purgatives, and stimulants. 2. Poisoning from the red agaric {amanita muscaria); This contains the poisonous alkaloid muscarine. Gastric symptoms and diarrhoea. Mental excitement, delirium, tetanic and epileptiform convulsions. A rapid pulse, small pupils, disturbed vision from spasm of accommodation, sweating, salivation, and inmost of the severe cases sopor and death. Treatment-. Emetics, etc. Atro- pine, which acts as a physiological antidote to muscarine. Also tannine, and stimulants. 3. Poisoning from tubercular mushrooms (amanita phalloicles), con- fused with young button mushrooms (champignons). Digestive disturbances, later jaundice, somnolence, coma. The autopsy shows fatty degeneration of the liver, kidneys, and stomach, as in phosphorus poisoning. 34. Poisoning from Sausages (Botulismus).—This sometimes occurs as the result of eating partially decayed sausages. The symptoms are pain in the stomach, nausea, vomiting, colic, and diarrhoea. There are also marked feebleness, prae- cordial anxiety, and dyspnoea; vertigo, headache, somnolence; and very often disturbance of vision (amblyopia, spots before the eyes), and, what is surprising, ptosis. In severe cases, dysphagia, as a result of more or less com)jlete paralysis of the tongue and the constrictors of the pharynx. The mouth is dry. The heai-t is feeble; this and the general prostration and malnutrition may prove fatal. The cases are usually protracted, rarely being very acute. The active principles tal- kaloids of putrefaction) have lately become known in part. In sausage and also in meat poisoning tbe most important substance is jjtomato-atropine, a substance which acts almost exactly like atropine. Treatment: Emetics, purgatives (cal- omel). stimulants, and. if indicated, artificial feeding. 64
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