A handbook of local therapeutics / edited by Harrison Allen.

Date:
1893
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: A handbook of local therapeutics / edited by Harrison Allen. Source: Wellcome Collection.

    239/554 (page 227)
    ERYTHROXYLON—ETHYL BROMIDE. on the human eye and failed to produce any decided anaesthesia. Solu- tions of .25 and .50 per cent, caused some pain and irritation, with ciliary injection and dilatatmn of the pupil. He also noted blurred vision and a circular colored halo around an artificial light due to disturb- ance of corneal epithelium. Other observers have confirmed Lewin's conclusions in whole or m part, while still others have denied them. The fact probably is that the drug has not yet been definitely isolated, and that the preparations used by different experimenters have not been identical. There is a pretty general admission of its irritating effects when applied to the eye. Its present status is, albeit, that of a very uncertain remedy, and it has no standing as a competitor of cocaine. ERYTHROXYLON. Coca. Erylhroxylon is the name given to the leaves of Erythroxylon Coca:'' (U. S. P.) It owes its activity to the presence of cocaine {q. v\ The fluid extract is official, and one cubic centimetre of it represents the activity of one gramme of coca leaves. Coca possesses in a mild form the properties of cocaina. The alkaloid has almost entirely superseded the crude drug. Diseases of the Throat, etc.—The concentrated infusion of coca leaves is recommended by J. Solis-Cohen (iV. K Med. Journ., 1886) as a substitute for cocaine in gargles and sprays. The fluid extract is also useful for relieving Turgescence of the Nasal Mucous Membrane. Nachtigall recommends the use of cigarettes made from the leaves for Asthma. A lozenge containing two grains of the leaves can be procured. ETHYL BROMIDE. Bromide of Ethyl. Hydrobromic Ether. A colorless, very volatile liquid, not inflammable, having an agreeable odor and a pungent, saccharine taste. (U. S. D.) It boils at 104° F. It is made, after several pre- cautions have been observed, by the action of bromine on alcohol in the presence of phos- phorus. It liberates free bromine when long Icept. Bromide of ethyl is anaesthetic. It should be used with caution. General Surgery.—An effort was made to introduce it as a substi- tute for ether by the late R. J. Levis, who claimed that it possessed all the advantages of chloroform without any of its dangerous properties. For about six months it was employed in his wards at the Pennsylvania Hospital, but, after a fair trial, it was found not as safe or reliable as ether, death sometimes following its employment. Its mode of action is quite similar to that of chloroform. Its administration should never be