Vol. 60, 1909 - University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

ABSTRACTS. 181
Opium in the Therapeutics ol Infancy, recent traces of activity on the partof pedi-
—In 'L'Echo Med. du Xord,' Delearde culi vestimenti or body lice. His attention
states that it is the custom to employ very having been called to this phenomenon, he
small doses of the drug to infants. The began to investigate more closely the relafirst
to break with the old traditions is
Borde, of Bordeaux, who has always shown
tion betwixt the scorbutic signs present and
the lesions due to the parasite mentioned,
the tolerance of infants to opium, especially It happened that in a considerable number
in acute gastro-enteritis of infectious origin, of cases, not a few patients were found in
The writer finds the urine increases and the which neither anamnesis nor objective innumber
of stools diminish, without causing vestigation discovered any marked staphyloany
symptoms of retention of toxic material, genie affection of the skin, so that it was
The abdominal tympanitis lessens. It entirely unwarranted in such instances to
should be noted that Pal showed that mor- attribute the development of scorbutus to
phia did not paralyze the intestine, but the debilitating action of such causes or to
regulated its contractions. Vomiting is also the influence of a morbid or predisposed
stopped. The morphia is given in the form constitutional idiosyncrasy, nor could the
of the syrup of morphine (of the French nutritional condition present or any other
Pharmacopoeia) and is made up to 100 c.c. environmental factor elucidate the developin
different strengths for different age-, ment of the scurvy. Thus there was noth-
For example, at the age of one month 2-3 ing else of etiologic valve than the relationgrm.
of the syrup, 3 months 5 grm., 6
months 9 grm., 1 year 13 grm., 18 months
ship l^etween the scurvy and the pediculi,
rendered still more probable by the known
16 grm., 2 years 18 grm. Of this solution fact that the toxic action emanating from
a dessert-spoonful is given every hour, day
and night, till the child falls asleep. On
the parasites is able, by reason of its effect
upon the innervation of blood vessels, to
awakening the treatment may be continued evolve dermal pigmentation and erythema-
The child liecomes much better after twenty- tons and other angio-neurotic phenomena,
four hours, the temperature has fallen, and
the diarrhoea and vomiting, if not ceased. Cardiac Pain.-In the Munchener Med.
have much improved. During this time Wochenschrift Selig describes this subject.
_iilk is stopped, and decoction of cereals 'I'he commonest cardiac sensation is palpigiven
instead. By this metliod the infant tation, due in the healthy to increased enof
3 months is given H centigramme of ergy of contraction. In the large group of
extract of opium. Delearde emplovs the "nervous hearts," psychic conditions befollowing
modification of this method; he come chiefly etiologic, and in nervous pagives
everv three hours a mixture of pare- tients these sensations may develop without
goric elixir of opium with gum acacia and Psychic alterations and frequently at a defiorange
flower water, the elixir being given "'te hour. Another phenomenon is that of
in the doses of .5 grm. jyer vear of age. I'or cardiac anxiety or anguish. All cardiac
example, to an infant of 3 months 1.2.S patients have a fear that something may
grm., and double that quantity to an infant happen to them, but the anxiety is often
of 6 months, and so on. This elixir in 10 dependent upon actual lesions, such as
grm. contains .5 centigrammes of opium ex- sclerosis of the coronary arteries and mj-otract.
The author considers the advantage carditis, and reaches the maximum in
of the opium treatment is the more rapid angina pectoris. The cause of stenocardiac
return toordinary alimentation. Thecontra- states is not always a coronary sclerosis;
indications for opium are—pulmonary af- general nervousness, tobacco, partial or
fectioiis, great wasting, and chronic enter- general spasm of the cutaneous arteries are
itis. Sometimes he adds lime-water to the often factors. Another group of sensations
medicine, and occasionally lactic acid, are educed by disturbances of rhythm and
Opium is also of great value in the spasm retardation of the cardiac impulses. In
accompanying laryngeal affections in the many cases the sensation is attributed to
ifant, and also in whooping-cough, when the heart, though the cause is to be sought
it lessens much the violence of the cough elsewhere. In nervous patients a point
and the accidents resulting from this. located below the breast is often extremely
painful, especially so from energetic palpa-
Scorbutlc Etiolofly.—In the Russische tion. Many cases complain of a cutting,
Zeitschrift fur Ilaut fur Geschlechlskraii- burning or gnawing pain. There may be
keiten Ilalpern. as chief of a hospital in a hyperesthesia of the nipples. The sup-
Russo-Japanese war, iiad the opportunity posed cardiac pain in women is frequently
of observing a number of cases of scurvy in relation with heavy pendant or fatty
in which the angio-neurotic symptoms, sucli mammse. This great weight causing dyspas
erythematous maculae, nodes, etc., were
nvariably accompanied by more or less
nea and various pains in the heart region,
much relieved by the use of a "breast ele-