Details of a fatal case by Dr. Durrant reported in Taylor, p. 616, are, briefly: A man aged thirty-three, a heavy drinker, to whom veronal had been prescribed, in fifteen-grain doses, with chloral hydrate and bromide of ammonium, had gradually increased the dose from 15 to 30 grains, or even 60 grains. Five weeks before death he had taken 100 grains, and had recovered in three days. Nine hours after taking 120 grains of veronal with 20 grains of chloral and 40 grains of ammonium bromide he was found deeply comatose, with surface warm, respirations 32, pulse 102, pupils dilated, corneæ insensitive, reflexes absent. Next day not so deeply comatose, he could be made to wince by slapping the face, the pupils were still dilated, temperature 102° F., pulse 110, reflexes still absent. Later he was still constipated, and the breathing impeded by mucus. On the third day he spoke when roused; the temperature, bowels, and pupils the same. With slight remission he became worse, and on the fourth day, in a comatose condition, with muscular flaccidity and absence of reflexes, temperature 104° F., respirations over 40, and the pulse 150, death took place. Post-mortem.—Nothing was found except intense congestion of the lungs, liver, spleen, and brain, due, no doubt, to the asphyxial form of death. The mucous membrane of the alimentary canal was congested, but otherwise normal.
Chemical Tests.—1. Heated dry with sodium carbonate, ammonia is evolved. If held in the mouth of the tube red litmus paper turns blue, turmeric paper brown.
2. A saturated solution acidified with nitric acid gives a white precipitate with Millon‘s reagent soluble in excess.
Treatment.—As for sulphonal.
CHAPTER XIII
NEURAL POISONS
CONIUM
The common or spotted hemlock, Conium maculatum (N. O. Umbelliferæ), is indigenous. It must be distinguished from the Myrrhis temulenta, another indigenous, umbelliferous plant, which has also a spotted stem, but which is covered with hairs—the stem of the hemlock being smooth. Several cases of poisoning have occurred, hemlock having been mistaken for parsley, fennel, asparagus, and parsnip. The leaves of the plant have a peculiar mousy odour, which is intensified when they are rubbed in a mortar with some caustic potash. The poisonous properties reside in an alkaloid, conine. The activity of the plant appears to depend upon the time of the year when it is gathered, being most powerful in May. The ready decomposition of the alkaloid by heat or age renders the extract of conium a very uncertain preparation, the conine being converted into an inert resinoid matter.
Conine the alkaloid is a colourless volatile oil, lighter than water, with an odour of mice. It is strongly alkaline, soluble in diluted acid, but its salts have not yet been crystallised. It has been suggested that a ptomaine not unlike conine may be formed in the body by the combination of one molecule of butyric acid and one molecule of ammonia with separation of water, thus:
| Butyric Acid. | Ammonia. | Conine. | |||
| 2C₄H₈O₂ | + | NH₃ | - | 2H₂O = | C₈H₁₅N |