The action of neurotic medicines in insanity / by T. S. Clouston.

  • Clouston, T. S. (Thomas Smith), 1840-1915.
Date:
1871
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: The action of neurotic medicines in insanity / by T. S. Clouston. Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material has been provided by the Harvey Cushing/John Hay Whitney Medical Library at Yale University, through the Medical Heritage Library. The original may be consulted at the Harvey Cushing/John Hay Whitney Medical Library at Yale University.

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    In order to compare accurately the effects of a continuous course of a mixture of the bromide of potassium and cannabis Indica with that of opium, I discontinued the use of the latter in the cases of those seven patients, and waited till the same time of year came round as that in which I had made the preceding observations. I then, after having observed their mental state and weighing them, put them on half-drachm doses of each thrice a day, and continued this for a fortnight, but finding that the medicine was having an effect, and showing no signs of losing that effect, I continued its use for a fortnight longer. I then increased the doses to forty-five grains of the bromide and forty-five minims of the tincture of cannabis, and continued this for a fortnight, but as this was having a very decided and continuous sedative effect I could not safely increase the doses any more, except in one or two of the cases, to whom I gave a few doses of a drachm of each, and in whom the effects were decidedly too strongly narcotic to be long continued. I then reduced the doses to a half drachm of each. I found this treatment so beneficial to the patients that I have continued it now for about eight months, with a few days' intermission occasionally in all the patients. In the case of those whose excitement was periodic I gave it during the excited periods only. I have noted some of the results that could be tabulated in Table VI. They are shortly these :— Excitement.—The half-drachm doses had the effect of allaying the Table VI. Weight. Morning Evening Morning Evening Temperature. Temperature. Pulse. Pulse. bo Nat I« S . a . |J 3 . O M *—AS *! ■e! ■i.1 •§ is 9 *j'3 .3 d g.| •| g9 E v <o sj a § £3 sl S S 8 ga ■is « <f <* %a ■2a i-- fa 5 * % o **■ fiS 5 n pq a pq a lbs. lbs. lbs. lbs. J. G. . 128 125 130 123 97° 961° 98° 97° 77 87 89 60 E. M. . 130 128+ 131 134 98-2° 96-5° 97-7° 96-7° 78 86 93 82 M. T. . 134 139 138 135* 98-6° 98-7° 97-8° 98-2° 74 83 74 68 J. H. . 126 122 122 124 97-8° 97-2° 97-5° 97-4° 100 110 77 80 C. M. . 109 107i 105 110 98-4° 98° 97° 97-5° 104 83 93 81 S. R. . 106 106| 107 108 96-9° 97-3° 97-7° 969° 81 77 78 67 E. S. . 102 103| 101 106 98-4° 98-2° 97° 98-4° 103 88 98 89 94 85 96 76 Aggregate and aver weights ige teai- 835 831* 834 840* 97-9° 97-4° 97-6° 97-4° peraturet nd pulse excitement in all the cases but two. This was quite as strongly marked as the first effect of the drachm-doses of laudanum, and during the nine months it has been given there seems to be no per-