INTRODUCTION
TART. STIB.
Tartarus Emeticus. See Noack and Trinks.
COMPARE WITH
Aconite, Ant-cr., Asa-f., Baryta carb., Chamomilla, coco., Ignatia, Ipecac., Kali- Nitr., Nitr-ac., Nux-v., Pulsatilla, Sepia, Veratrum After Tart-stib. are particularly suitable. Baryta carb., Ipecac., Pulsatilla, Sepia, Sulphur, Tart- stib., is particularly efficacious after Puls and Baryta carb.
ANTIDOTES
Of large massive doses: China (particularly the yellow bark), Ipecac. Of small doses: Asa-f., China, Cocc., Ipecac., Opium, Pulsatilla The principal remedy for the pustules which Tart-stib causes on the genital organs is Conium. Tart-stib. antidotes Sepia.
PATHOLOGY
Its action on animals would appear, from the experiments of Magendie, to be somewhat peculiar. He found that dogs, like man take a large dose with impunity for instance, half an ounce if they are allowed to vomit, but that, if the gullet is tied, from four to eight grains will kill them in a few hours. His subsequent experiments go to prove that death is owing to the poison exciting inflammations of the lungs. Six or eight grains dissolved in water were injected into a vein; the animal was attacked with vomiting and purging and died within an hour. Post- mortem appearance: redness of the whole villous coat of the stomach and intestines and also the lungs were of an orange red or violent color throughout destitute of crepitation, gorged with blood, dense like the spleen, and here and there even hepatized. A larger quantity caused death more rapidly, without affecting the alimentary canal; a smaller quantity caused intense inflammation there, and death in twenty-four hours, but the lungs were always more or less affected.
It is a fact, too worthy of notice, that in whatever way this poison enters the body, its effects are nearly the same. This is shown, not only by researches of Magendie, just mentioned, but likewise by the experiments of Schloepfer, who found that a scruple dissolved in twelve parts of water, and injected into the windpipe, caused violent vomiting difficult breathing, and death in three days; and in the dead body both the lungs and stomach were much inflamed, particularly the former. It further appears, from an experiments related by Dr.Campbell that, when applied to a wound, it acts with almost equal energy as when injected into a vein. Five grains killed a cat in this way in three hours, causing inflammation of the wound, and vivid redness of the stomach. He did not find lungs inflamed. Magendie infers from his own re- searches, that Tartar-emetic occasions death when swallowed, not by inflaming the stomach, but through means of a GENERAL INFLAMMATION state of the whole system, subsequent to its absorption of which disorder the affections of the stomach, and even that of the lungs are merely parts or symptoms. The later experiments of Rayer tend in some measure to confirm these views, by showing that death may occur without inflammation of any kind being excited anywhere.
Orfila has proved by analysis the important fact that Tartar- emetic is absorbed in the course of its actions, and may be detected in the animal tissue and secretions. He found that, when it is applied to the cellular tissue of small dogs, two grains disappear before death; that Antimony may be detected by his process throughout the soft textures generally, but especially in the liver and kidneys; but that it is quickly discharged from these quarters by the urine. Hence, in an animal that died in four hours, he found it abundantly in the liver, and still more in the urine.
Dr. Nevins experimented on ten rabbits, the doses varied from one-half to two grains; it required from twelve to seventy-three grains, in divided doses, to cause death. For the first days no striking symptoms were present; then the animals lost spirit in a great degree and gradually became emaciated, but continued to take food almost to the hour of death. All who lived beyond the tenth day had diarrhoea. rabbits are incapable of vomiting. Cramps were not present in a single instance, but several died in violent convulsions for one quarter of an hour before death. The mouth was very severely ulcerated in several. One pregnant rabbit continued to increase in size and weight for two weeks, when all motion in the belly ceased, she lost weight and flesh, and died while giving birth to a litter of seven dead immature foetuses. Emaciations often extreme, so that not a trace of fat remained in the body. Mouth ulcerated. Stomach frequently inflamed in patches, but not throughout, sometimes, but rarely, ulcerated, always more than half full of blood. Pylorus frequently so thickened and indurated as to resemble cartilage under the knife. Small bowels frequently inflamed in patches, but rarely ulcerated. Intestinal glands sometimes excessively enlarge. Large bowels generally healthy. Liver generally congested in parts, occasionally in- flamed, hard or brittle. Kidneys generally more or less congest- ed, sometimes one only, at others the upper portion of one and the lower of the other. Bladder generally distended with urine and more vascular than usual. Brain generally healthy. Lungs and trachea frequently congested, sometimes highly inflamed the two lungs seldom alike. In several cases there was extensive extravasation of blood upon the surface of the lungs, and of the liver and stomach and beneath the mucous surface of the coecum. Heart healthy and generally full of black coagulated blood. It was always present in the liver after five grains were given; appeared in this organs before it was clearly proved present in any other organs except the stomach. It appeared next in the kidneys, and after the fifteen day was present in the bones. Its presence was also lastly proved in the blood, lungs, urine, faeces, both hard and soft. In the brain it never was clearly present, and its evidence in the muscles was very slight. It was constantly pass- ing off by the urine and faeces, and was discovered in both these excretions, abundantly in some rabbits which survived twenty-one days after the last dose was given; and in the faeces was slight- ly present eighty days after the lost dose. It disappeared from the liver about the fifteenth day, and from the kidneys somewhat later; whilst it was found abundantly in the bones thirty-one p73 days after the last dose. In the litter of seven it was found abundantly in the placenta and livers, examined separately; in the remaining contents of the abdomen, in the contents of the chest, in the flesh and bones.
