ANTIDOTE FOR STRYCHNINE.

South Canterbury Times, Issue 2523, 22 April 1881, Page 2

ANTIDOTE FOR STRYCHNINE.

Discussion has been carried on in the “ South Australian Register,” respecting a successful antidote to be administered to those who have taken poisonous doses of strychine. Mr J. W. Heathcote writes:—“Strychnine is very variable in its action : sometimes it takes life in a very short time, at other times it causes a lingering death. I will give you my experience in the treatment of cases of poisoning by strychnine, premising that it relates to dogs only. Many years ago I read in some serial a short paragraph to the effect that accoiding to the pharmacopoeia iodine was a specific in cases of poisoning by str) clmine. The next time I sent an order for strychnine to the chemist — who did a large trade in that article —I mentioned to him what I had seen, thinking he would know all about it and give me all information as to the size of dose, &c. He replied he could not find it in the pharmacopoeia ; and so the affair remained for years, until a favoutite and valuable dog of mine \vas poisoned. He was so far gone that from long experience I knew it was useless to try any remedies and told the blacks to kill it; but it being a favourite of their’s they begged tobacco salt, castor oil &c., and Heft them doing in the usual bush fashion. After the lapse of some time I returned, and found the dogslowly dying. It was rigid and unable to rise. Tetanus, with very little intermission, had set in ; in fact it was nearly dead. I then remembered the iodine remedy, and gave the dog u tablespoonful, of which perhaps a dessert spoonful was actually sw r allowed. In less than an hour he was able to walk away ; next day he had quite recovered. After that I always used it, giving a dessert-spoonful. So powerful and quick is its action that I never afterwards was afraid of having a dog poisoned by strychnine if discovered before it had lost the power of swallowing. One dog was poisoned four tinws, and was cured each time. The pharmacopcoa spoke of iodine as an antidote to strychnine, when taken by human beings. If it acts upon us as cfliciently as it does upon dogs, the loss of life from this source should be very rare indeed. No case should be despaired of unless the patient is unable to swallow'. This may be old news to the members of the medical profession, but it may be new to many of the public, especial])' those living in the pastoral districts. I hope that the doctors or chemists may still further elucidate the matter and inform the public of the proper dose'to take in eases of emergency, and mo in what pharmacopoeia (I think it must be either in the American or some foreign one) it is to be found."