There is a certain amount of
truth in the theory that the quality of food does affect the mind
and body. Buckle in his 'History of Civilization' took this view,
and tried to prove that the character of a people depends on
their diet."
Idiosyncrasies to Drugs.--In the absorption and the assimilation
of drugs idiosyncrasies are often noted; in fact, they are so
common that we can almost say that no one drug acts in the same
degree or manner on different individuals. In some instances the
untoward action assumes such a serious aspect as to render
extreme caution necessary in the administration of the most inert
substances. A medicine ordinarily so bland as cod-liver oil may
give rise to disagreeable eruptions. Christison speaks of a boy
ten years old who was said to have been killed by the ingestion
of two ounces of Epsom salts without inducing purgation; yet this
common purge is universally used without the slightest fear or
caution. On the other hand, the extreme tolerance exhibited by
certain individuals to certain drugs offers a new phase of this
subject. There are well-authenticated cases on record in which
death has been caused in children by the ingestion of a small
fraction of a grain of opium.
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