If the patient has not already emptied the stomach by repeated vomiting, and the throat is not inflamed, use the stomach-pump or tube, and wash the organ out with water, or give any one of the usual emetics—such as mustard, sulphate of zinc, or ipecacuanha.
If the bowels have not acted well, give a dose of castor oil; allay pain with small doses of morphine.
Scillain.—See [Digitalis].
Snakes, Bite of.
Suck the wound, and apply an alkaline solution of permanganate of potash.
In severe cases of cobra poisoning and other extremely venomous snakes, death threatening, the only likely means of saving life would be bleeding at one arm and transfusing blood by the other.
Ammonia may be given by the mouth, and also smelt.
In cobra poisoning and venoms which kill mainly through the respiration, the breathing must be kept up artificially; and, should there be signs of the heart failing, weak, interrupted galvanic shocks may be applied to the walls of the chest.
Lacerda’s plan of injecting permanganate of potash under the skin is not alone useless but mischievous, for it takes up time which might be more valuably employed.