Page 387 - My FlipBook

ERGOTA.—ERGOT. 385

practically an artificial gastric juice, active and acid when diluted
with water. It has an agreeable odor and flavor.
The action of the proteolytic ferment is not confined to purely
alimentary substances, but is capable of dissolving albuminous
matter in the various forms occurring in false fibrinous mem-
brane, in diseased and sloughing tissues, blood coagula, etc.
Medical Properties and Action.—Enzymol is a physiological sol-
vent, antiseptic, deodorizer and healing agent. It is effective in
all situations where it can be brought and held in contact with
septic matter. It dissolves by digestion, sloughs, granulations and
detritus, without attacking the normal parts. It converts pus,
necrosed bone, blood coagula, muco-pus, etc., into solution by
simple hydration, the septic matter being readily discharged or
removed by irrigation. It also destroys offensive odors, and pos-
sesses healing and curative effects. For general use it should be
diluted with an equal volume of water. In treating necrosed
bone, it should first be applied undiluted, in order to quickly and
effectively dissolve the calcareous matter, after which the diluted
form is applied. In cavities it may be applied by spray, com-
press, or by injection, or on sterilized cotton or wool moistened
with it.
Dental Uses.—It is employed in alveolar abscess, alveolar
pyorrhoea, disease of the antrum, ulceration of the gums, frac-
tured bones of the jaws, etc.
ERGOTA—ERGOT.
Derivation.—Ergot is derived from the mycelium of the fun-
gous growth which replaces the grain of the common rye. It is
bitter, and excites heat and dryness, followed by pain in stomach,
thirst, vomiting and intestinal pain and sometimes purging. Small
doses, long continued, cause spasms and death, by coma and as-
phyxia; gangrene of the lower extremities may follow its pro-
longed use.
Medical Properties and Physiological Action.—Ergot is a stimu-
lant to and causes contraction of the involuntary or unstriped
muscular fibres of the uterus, and smaller blood vessels. It is
employed to produce contraction of the uterus in child-birth. It
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