It is not in the province of this work to discuss at length the
explanations offered for these individual idiosyncrasies. Many
authors have done so, and Lewin has devoted a whole volume to
this subject, of which, fortunately, an English translation has
been made by Mulheron, and to these the interested reader is
referred for further information. In the following lines examples
of idiosyncrasy to the most common remedial substances will be
cited, taking the drugs up alphabetically.
Acids.--Ordinarily speaking, the effect of boric acid in
medicinal doses on the human system is nil, an exceptionally
large quantity causing diuresis. Binswanger, according to Lewin,
took eight gm. in two doses within an hour, which was followed by
nausea, vomiting, and a feeling of pressure and fulness of the
stomach which continued several hours. Molodenkow mentions two
fatal cases from the external employment of boric acid as an
antiseptic. In one case the pleural cavity was washed out with a
five per cent solution of boric acid and was followed by
distressing symptoms, vomiting, weak pulse, erythema, and death
on the third day. In the second case, in a youth of sixteen,
death occurred after washing out a deep abscess of the nates with
the same solution.
Pages:
963
964
965
966
967
968
969
970
971
972
973
974
975
976
977
978
979
980
981
982
983
984
985
986
987