Hints to Travellers, Scientific and General, Vol. 2 / Tenth edition, revised and corrected

by Royal Geographical Society

It is especially useful in poisoned wounds, such as snake-bites, and should in these cases be injected hypodermically ([p. 281]).

Is an antidote to poisoning by opium.

Of late years it has been extensively used in the treatment and prevention of cholera. The two-grain tablet is a convenient form for medication.

Purgatives may be divided into the following classes:—

1. Laxatives.

2. Simple purgatives.

3. Drastic purgatives or cathartics.

4. Saline purges.

1. Laxatives slightly stimulate the movements of the bowel, but cause practically no increase of the intestinal secretion. Examples of this class are fruit, wholemeal bread, small doses of castor oil, figs, prunes, etc. These may be given regularly in slight cases of chronic constipation.