GICAL DISEASES OF.
GaulIberia pro cumbens, or winter-green, is a small, shrub-like evergreen plant, bearing a small, red berry (called teaberry, checker berry, partridge-berry, boxberry, or deer berry) which is edible. It is indigenous to the woods of the United States, from the extreme north down to the Caro linas. The leaves alone are used for the two preparations which are official in the U. S. P. By distillation of the leaves a volatile oil (oleum gaultheria, U. S. P.) is obtained. This oil is of a light-straw color, which becomes darker on exposure to the air. It possesses a peculiar pene trating odor, a sweetish, pungent, aro matic taste, and a slight acid reaction. It contains a hydrocarbon (gaultherilen) and an acid (methsalicylic acid); consists almost entirely of pure methyl-salicylate (99 per cent., according to Merck). It is soluble in alcohol, ether, chloroform, and carbon disulphide. Besides having me dicinal virtues, it is often used as a flavor ing substance to render mixtures more palatable.
Preparations and Dose.—Oleum gaul theria?, 5 to 30 minims.
Spiritus gaultherim, 5 to 30 minims.
Physiological Action.—The physiolog ical action of gaultheria is almost iden tical with that of salicylic acid; in small doses it is a stimulant and carminative. In larger doses it is an antiseptic, anti pyretic, antirheumatic, and analgesic. Hare and 'Wood have shown that in thera peutic doses the oil is entirely decom posed in the system, although in tonic doses it may escape in part unchanged by the urine.
Poisoning by Gaultheria.—In slightly tonic doses there is produced a marked tinnitus aurium, nausea, vomiting, and rapid pulse. One ounce of the oil has proved fatal. In this case the principal symptoms were profuse diaphoresis, pain in the head and abdomen, purging; fre quent, painful, and at last involuntary micturition; with convulsions, tonic spasms, dilated pupils, lessened arterial pressure, abolition of sight and hearing, rapid respiration, depression of the heart's action, and finally death by re spiratory failure in fifteen hours.
Ten to 20 'ninth's of the oil every 3 to 4 hours found to produce a marked ringing in the ears and subsidence of pain in 24 to 43 hours. In one instance
of very painful muscular rheumatism '/, drachm given every 2 hours, and 5 to 6 doses taken before the stomach rebelled. Excessive cinchonism was produced, with nausea and rapid pulse, but the pain dis appeared. Dercum (Jour. of Nervous and Mental Dis., Jan., 'SS).
Treatment of Poisoning by Gaultheria. —The stomach should be evacuated by means of an hypodermic injection of apo morphine to grain), or if con scions by any available emetic. Cardiac and respiratory stimulants (ether, caf feine, strychnine) are then indicated, using artificial respiration, and convul sions or spasms by the hypodermic ad ministration of morphine.
Therapeutics. —The therapeutic uses of gaultheria are similar to those of salicylic acid. The oil utilized is prin cipally in the treatment of acute artic ular rheumatism in doses of 5 to 30 min ims, in capsules, in emulsion, or dropped on sugar, three or more times daily, as the case may require. Lint saturated with oil, wrapped around the part affected, and covered with a piece of thin rubber cloth or rubber tissue to prevent evaporation, may be used, as suggested by Lannois and Limousin, in cases of acute and chronic rheumatic joints.
Attention called to the value of salic ylate of methyl (oil of gaultheria) in rheumatic affections. In two cases the rheumatism was gonorrhoeal, and in both these cases the treatment did good.
The part which is affected is sur rounded with lint which has been moist ened by the application of 1 or 2 tea spoonfuls of the oil; this is then covered with a sheet of gutta-percha, and the entire limb carefully wrapped in an out side bandage, which is applied in such a way as to prevent the heat of the body from vaporizing the drug and permitting it to escape into the air. Locally, this treatment may produce reddening of the skin, and, if it is continued for some time. actual desquamation of the cuticle; hut this is not painful, since anaesthesia is developed. Editorial (Therap. Caz., Feb., '97).