On the hypodermic administration of remedies in neuralgia and other affections : being a paper read before the St. George's Medical Society, on Decmeber 9th, 1858 / by Charles Hunter. Also a paper on the respiration therapeutically considered in certain cerebral conditions, read at the Western Medical Society, January 20th, 1860, and the St. George's Medical Society, February 2d, 1860.

  • Hunter, Charles, 1834 or 1835-1878.
Date:
1860
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: On the hypodermic administration of remedies in neuralgia and other affections : being a paper read before the St. George's Medical Society, on Decmeber 9th, 1858 / by Charles Hunter. Also a paper on the respiration therapeutically considered in certain cerebral conditions, read at the Western Medical Society, January 20th, 1860, and the St. George's Medical Society, February 2d, 1860. Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material has been provided by The Royal College of Surgeons of England. The original may be consulted at The Royal College of Surgeons of England.

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    gunshot wound of the thigh. On the 13th there was delirium, and on the 14th trismus and the other symptoms of tetanus set in. 16th.—The symptoms have gradually increased during the last two days, during which time he has had no good sleep. About twelve p.m. Mr. Tomlinson injected three quarters of a grain of morphia. The man was asleep in twenty-five minutes, and remained asleep for the greater part of the night, totally undisturbed by the spasms, which recurred nearly every minute the whole time he was asleep. From this case we see that, in tetanus, by morphia you may destroy consciousness and produce sleep, and so save your patient many hours' pain from the spasms ; and secondly, that although the brain may be brought well under the influence of the narcotic, the spinal system may continue all activity. The spinal system, says Marshall Hall, never sleeps. Case 7.—In the following case the injection was employed to» allay violent excitement of the brain; the man, in fact, was, when ad- mitted, and still is, in a state of madness. I allude to Eichard Dunn, at present in the Oxford Ward, admitted I on the 1st of December under the care of Mr. Caesar Hawkins. The man was brought in with a great gash in the throat, the work of his I own hands. On the 3d he became, at the hour of midnight, extremely excited, noisy, and restless. The tender aid of David, a i policeman, and two half-drachm doses of laudanum, failed to quiet him. I therefore had recourse to the little syringe, and in less than half a minute had introduced three quarters of a grain of morphia in five minims of liquid into the cellular tissue of the man's arm. The result was then watched by Mr. Tomlinson and myself; the man became quiet directly, every now and then shutting his eyes, and breathing deeply ; in twenty minutes he was asleep, and slept six hours and a half. (This man ultimately recovered.) Case 8.—James Denson, set. 70, admitted under Dr. Page, November 24th, King's Ward. Has had gout, and lately suffered day and night from pain in back of the left thigh and leg; is very restless, and does not sleep at night. Ordinary treatment having failed for a fortnight, Dr. Page asked me to try the injection of morphia. I did so, inserting it, not over the sciatic nerve, but in the arm ; the man was sound asleep in less than fifteen minutes, he slept all night, and felt quite happy the next day, with no pain in the leg. Half a grain was the quantity employed. It is now three days since the injection was used, during which time he has had good nights, and had little or no pain. This case shows well the non-necessity of localization, the essence of Dr. Wood's treatment. Case 9 is still under treatment; it is that very bad case of chorea now in the Roseberry Ward. Mary Donovan, set. 16, but hardly looking 12 ; admitted November 26th, under the care of Dr. Page. On admission, she was suffering from constant, restless, and at times violent, movements of all parts of the body, frightful to look at. She was then, as now, for the most part sleepless, but she is now much weaker, thinner, and more haggard than when admitted. Iron and other remedies have been tried in vain. When I was first