ANTIMONY. This is a poisonous metal, and its chief preparations are the following : Tartar emetic, oxide of antimony, sulphuretted oxide, and muriate, to which we may add antimonial vapours.
Tartar emetic is proved to be a poison, because, when dogs that had taken it were prevented from vomiting, they always died. Thus also it has happened in the human species, when considerable doses of this substance were given, and little or no vomiting followed. When evacu ated, no inconvenience has followed it. In cases of death, the intestinal canal is affected with inflammation through out, as well as the lungs. It is remarkable also, that whe ther this substance is injected into the veins or taken into the stomach, the same affections take place; a fact which occurs alike when arsenic is injected in the same manner. The symptoms are vomiting, heat, and pains in the sto mach and bowels ; diarrhoea, cramp, and pains of the muscles, and lastly death ; effects similar to, though less violent than those produced by the poisons above men tioned.
Treatment of the Patient. If there is much vomiting, little more is requisite than to encourage it by large quan tities of warm water. No additional advantage is derived from the vegetable substances often added to these. If there is no vomiting, that should be excited by tickling the throat with a feather, and by warm water at the same time. If oil excites vomiting it will be useful. If, with
all these attempts, vomiting is not produced, large quan tities of the decoction of bark should be given ; which has the property of decomposing this salt, and may be taken in any dose. It is also to be observed that the yellow bark is a better precipitan! for this salt than the red. Tea, galls, and other astringent vegetables, may be substituted, if this is not at hand. The alkaline substances and the hydrosulphurets are injurious. When vomiting is very violent, opium is useful ; and if there is much con striction about the throat and pains of the stomach, or symptoms of any inflammation, the antiphlogistic treatment must be resorted to.
The symptoms produced by the other antimonial pre parations ate similar, but vary in violence according to their nature. The muriate is the most violent, and the treatment is the same for all. The vapours of antimony, under any form, have been found to produce cough, op pressed respiration, hxmoptysis, and colics : there can be no doubt that if long continued they would be a cause of death.