- spiration, coldness of the extremities, suffusion of the conjunctiva,
contraction of the pupils, and an exceedingly feeble pulse. The stomach-pump brought away a liquid with an overpowering smell of tar. Stimulants, external as well as internal, venesection, and turpentine clysters were of little avail; the insensibility continued, with only a short and imperfect interval; and he died about twenty-four hours after swallowing the poison. The pulmonary mucous membrane was highly injected, the lungs gorged with blood and of a tarry odour, the stomach and intestines natural, except that the whole valvulæ conniventes were yellow,—the brain and its membranes also natural.[1] It is mentioned in the paper of Messrs. Slight that a gentleman at Brighton died in consequence of a druggist using oil of tar by mistake for something else in making up a prescription.
Creasote is another pyrogenous substance possessing considerable activity as a poison. It is now extensively used in small doses as a medicine for a variety of purposes.
It has been made the subject of physiological experiment by various inquirers, and especially by Dr. Cormach; who found that doses of twenty-five or forty drops caused death in a few seconds when injected into the jugular vein of a dog, by arresting the heart's action, and without visibly altering the condition of the blood; that a quantity somewhat larger caused only sopor and spasmodic twitches of the muscles, if injected into the carotid artery, and without proving fatal; that thirty drops introduced into the stomach of a rabbit excited convulsions, acute cries, and death in one minute, apparently from arrestment of the action of the heart; and that the same dose given to a dog brought on salivation, giddiness, tetanic spasm, a feeble, fluttering, almost imperceptible pulse, and general insensibility, with dilated immovable pupils; but recovery took place under the employment of blood-letting.[2]—The effects of too large a medicinal dose in man are pain in the stomach and vomiting, and also, according to Dr. Elliotson, giddiness, headache, and stupor.[3] Dr. Pereira alludes to a case, mentioned in the Times newspaper, of death caused in 36 hours by two drachms taken at once; and in this instance acute pain in the abdomen was a prominent symptom.[4] I presume this is the same case which is mentioned in the Edinburgh Medical and Surgical Journal as having occurred at Liverpool.[5]—The results of Dr. Cormack's experiments on animals lead to the conclusion, that in poisoning with creasote, this substance may always be detected in the body, if it has not been removed by artificial means a considerable time before death.
