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412 DENTAL MEDICINE.
GELSEMIUM—YELLOW JASMINE.
Source.—Gelsemium is obtained from the root of the gehemium
sempervirens—yellow jasmine—woodbine, belonging to the natural
order Apocynaceae, which grows plentifully in the southern United
States. The root is of a brownish color externally, and a grayish
color within, and is sold in small pieces, from one-half to two
inches in length, and a quarter of an inch in thickness, being hard
and slightly cracked longitudinally. It has a bitter taste, and an
aromatic odor, somewhat like that of green tea.
Medical Properties and Action.—Gelsemium has a depressing
and sedative influence upon the nervous centres, and diminishes
the force and frequency of the heart's action. It contains a very
powerful alkaloid, gelsemia or gelsetnina^ which is colorless, odor-
less, with an intensely bitter taste.
Gelsemium, in moderate doses, causes a languid feeling, attended
with mental calmness, slow action of the heart, drooping eyelids,
dilatation of the pupil, and some feebleness of muscular move-
ments. In larger doses it causes vertigo, double vision, am-
blyopia, paralysis of the muscle that elevates the upper eyelid, so
that it cannot be raised, dilated pupil, labored respiration, on
account of its effect upon the respiratory muscles, slow and
feeble movement of the heart, great muscular weakness, and a
reduced sensibility to pain and touch. Such effects occur about
half an hour after the gelsemium is taken, and continue for two
or three hours, when they disappear.
When poisonous doses are taken, all of the symptoms de-
scribed above occur in a more intense degree, and there is first
an unsteady gait, until all muscular power is lost, the 'lower jaw
drops, the muscles of the tongue are paralyzed, speech being im-
possible, the respirations are very labored, slight and irregular,
and the action of the heart weak, feeble and intermittent, and
generally the skin is covered with a profuse perspiration. Death
occurs from asphyxia, but consciousness is preserved until near
the end, which is generally calm, and not disturbed by convul-
sions.
Therapeutic Uses.—Gelsemium is internally administered in
tetanus, mania, convulsive or spasmodic cough, such as whoop-