Alcohol, ether, and chloroform, induce general anæsthesia, often preceded by delirious excitement, and followed by nausea and vomiting. When they cause death, it is by inducing a state like apoplexy or by paralyzing the heart.
Alcohol.—Absolute alcohol is ethyl hydroxide (C2H5OH) with not more than 1 per cent. by weight of water. Rectified spirit (spiritus rectificatus) contains 90 per cent. of alcohol. Methylated spirit consists of rectified spirit with 10 per cent. of wood spirit. Proof spirit contains a little over 49 per cent. of absolute alcohol; brandy or whisky, 53 per cent.; port wine, 20 to 25 per cent.; ales and stout, 4 to 6 per cent.
Symptoms.—Acute poisoning; confusion, giddiness, staggering gait, headache, passing into stupor, with subnormal temperature, and coma. Vomiting may occur and recovery ensue, otherwise collapse sets in. Pupils usually dilated.
Dipsomaniacs suffer from indigestion, vomiting and purging, jaundice, albuminuria, diabetes, cirrhosis of liver, degeneration of kidneys, congestion of brain, peripheral neuritis, alcoholic insanity, and various forms of paralysis. In the acute form delirium tremens is the most common manifestation.
Post-Mortem Appearances.—Deep red colour of lining membranes of stomach. Sometimes congestion of cerebral vessels and meninges. Lungs congested, blood fluid. Rigor mortis persistent.
Fatal Dose.—Death from 1/2 pint of gin and from two bottles of port, but recovery from larger quantities.
Fatal Period.—Average about twenty-four hours.
Treatment.—Stomach-tube, cold affusion, electricity, injection of a pint of hot coffee into the rectum. Give chloride of ammonium in 30 grain doses to prevent delirium; strychnine or digitalin hypodermically.
Method of Extraction from the Stomach.—Neutralize the contents of the stomach, if acid, with sodium carbonate; place them in a retort and carefully distil. Collect the distillate, mix with chloride of calcium or anhydrous sulphate of copper, and again distil. Agitate distillate with dry potassium carbonate, and draw off some of the supernatant fluid for testing.
Tests.—Odour. Dissolves camphor. With dilute sulphuric acid and bichromate of potassium turns green, and evolves aldehyde. Product of combustion makes lime-water white and turbid.