Materia medica, or, Pharmacology and therapeutics (Volume 1, Part 2).

  • Tully, William, 1785-1859.
Date:
1857-58
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Materia medica, or, Pharmacology and therapeutics (Volume 1, Part 2). Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material has been provided by the National Library of Medicine (U.S.), through the Medical Heritage Library. The original may be consulted at the National Library of Medicine (U.S.)

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    more deadly than the Bohun Upas of Java has ever been repre- sented to be, says unlike all other intoxicating drinks used tor a common beverage, Beer contains, by means of the Hop,a de*d_ ly Narcotic, an Anodyne with its Alcoholic Stimulant, and thus impairs, distracts and racks the nervous system more fatally, by means of acting upon it by conflicting and contrary agencies. An other writer says an other evil exists in society, to a greater extent perhaps, than we are aware of—an increasing consumption of Stimulating and Narcotic drugs, even when the various forms of Alcohol have been laid aside. This is a practice fraught with clanger to health and morals; and is only to be successlully met, in its incipient stage, etc. This very properly and very truly deserves to be called by the vulgar and low denomination of humbug. I insist that there are no Narcotics in habitual and protracted use in our country, except Papaver, Wine and Alcohol. Papaver is not so used for its Narcotic operation in any case ex- cept when the patient is diseased and suffers pain, when it is pushed to the production of the Anodyne grade of a Narcotic operation—a perfectly legitimate use of this article. Papaver is utterly incapable of producing any grade of Intoxication, and consequently can not be used for this effect. Wine and Alcohol likewise, are never used habitually and protractedly for their Nar- cotic operation, nor can any Narcotic effects be produced by them, under this method of employment, unless actual Intoxication takes place; and even then, no injury results from the Narcotic part of a drunken fit; unless so much Alcohol is swallowed at once as to endanger life or actually destroy it. It is by no means the Narcotic part of the operation of Alcohol or Wine, that pro- duces the mischievous effects of intemperance in the use of these articles; nor are these mischievous effects by any means the same, as produced by Wine and Alcohol respectively. When I reach the classes, whose power produces the morbid effects of a habitual and protracted use of a large quantity of Alcohol or a still larger quantity of Wine I shall point it out. The Narcotics appear to me to operate, but not equally, upon every subordinate part of the nervous system. Some appear to operate much more especially upon the nerve of chimical action, nutrition and reproduction ; and when pushed so far as to destroy life, they accomplish this, by suspending the functions of this