Dose, from a half to one teaspoonful. Another recipe has no laudanum, but instead syrup of poppies.
| Chlorodyne—Brown’s Chlorodyne is composed of— | ||||
| Chloroform, | 6 | drachms. | ||
| Chloric ether, | 1 | dra„ | ||
| Tincture of capsicum, | 1⁄2 | dra„ | ||
| Hydrochlorate of morphine, | 8 | grains. | ||
| Scheele’s prussic acid, | 12 | drops | ||
| Tincture of Indian hemp, | 1 | drachm. | ||
| Treacle, | 1 | dra„ | ||
| Atkinson’s Infant Preserver— | ||||
| Carbonate of magnesia, | 6 | drachms. | ||
| White sugar, | 2 | ounces | ||
| Oil of aniseed, | 20 | drops. | ||
| Spirit of sal-volatile, | 2 | 1⁄2 | drachms. | |
| Laudanum, | 1 | dra„ | ||
| Syrup of saffron, | 1 | ounce. | ||
| Caraway water, to make up, | 1 | pint. | ||
| Boerhave’s Odontalgic Essence— | ||||
| Opium, | 1⁄2 | drachm. | ||
| Oil of cloves, | 2 | dra„ | ||
| Powdered camphor, | 5 | dra„ | ||
| Rectified spirit, | 1 | 1⁄2 | fl. ounce. | |
§ 348. Statistics.—During the ten years 1883-1892 no less than 1424 deaths in England and Wales were attributed to some form or other of opium or its active constituents; 45 of these deaths were ascribed to various forms of soothing syrup or to patent medicines containing opium or morphine; 876 were due to accident or negligence; 497 were suicidal and 6 were homicidal deaths. The age and sex distribution of the deaths ascribed to accident and those ascribed to suicide are detailed in the following tabular statement:—
DEATHS IN ENGLAND AND WALES DURING THE TEN YEARS 1883-1892 FROM OPIUM, LAUDANUM, MORPHINE, &c.
| Accident. | |||||||
| Ages, | 0-1 | 1-5 | 5-15 | 15-25 | 25-65 | 65 and above | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Males, | 72 | 27 | 1 | 16 | 302 | 85 | 503 |
| Females, | 50 | 23 | 4 | 21 | 189 | 86 | 373 |
| Total, | 122 | 50 | 5 | 37 | 491 | 171 | 876 |
| Suicide. | |||||||
| Ages, | 5-15 | 15-25 | 25-65 | 65 and above | Total | ||
| Males, | 1 | 26 | 269 | 34 | 330 | ||
| Females, | ... | 24 | 126 | 17 | 167 | ||
| Total, | 1 | 50 | 395 | 51 | 497 | ||
Of European countries, England has the greatest proportional number of opium poisonings. In France, opium or morphine poisoning accounts for about 1 per cent. of the whole; and Denmark, Sweden, Switzerland, Germany, all give very small proportional numbers; arsenic, phosphorus, and the acids taking the place of opiates. The more considerable mortality arises, in great measure, from the pernicious practice—both of the hard-working English mother and of the baby-farmer—of giving infants various forms of opium sold under the name of “soothing syrups,” “infants’ friends,” “infants’ preservatives,” “nurses’ drops” and the like, to allay restlessness, and to keep them during the greater part of their existence asleep. Another fertile cause of accidental poisoning is mistakes in dispensing; but these mistakes seem to happen more frequently on the Continent than in England. This is in some degree due to the decimal system, which has its dangers as well as its advantages, e.g.:—A physician ordered ·5 decigrm. of morphine acetate in a mixture for a child, but omitted the decimal point, and the apothecary, therefore, gave ten times the dose desired, with fatal effect. Again, morphine hydrochlorate, acetate, and similar soluble salts are liable to be mistaken for other white powders, and in this way unfortunate accidents have occurred—accidents that, with proper dispensing arrangements, should be impossible.
§ 349. Poisoning of Children by Opium.—The drugging of children by opium—sometimes with a view to destroy life, sometimes merely for the sake of the continual narcotism of the infant—is especially rife in India.[377] A little solid opium is applied to the roof of the mouth, or smeared on the tongue, and some Indian mothers have been known to plaster the nipples with opium, so that the child imbibes it with the milk. Europeans, again and again, have discovered the native nurses administering opiates to the infants under their care, and it is feared that in many cases detection is avoided.
[377] See Dr. Chevers’s Jurisprudence, 3rd ed., 232 et seq.