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REMEDIAL AGENTS. 85

Therapeutically, emetics are employed to evacuate the stomach
in cases of poisoning, undigested food, etc., to expel foreign sub-
stances from the throat or oesophagus ; to excite nausea, in order
to depress the vascular and muscular systems ; to relieve spasm
;
to promote secretion and excretion, and to make decided impres-
sions in the forming stages of certain fevers and delirium
tremens.
To relieve excessive vomiting, resulting from the use of emetics,
ice broken in small pieces and swallowed ; lime water and milk
(a teaspoonful of each, mixed cold and given at intervals of 15
or 20 minutes) ; a drop of creasote in a wineglass of water (a
tablespoonful given every 15 or 20 minutes); ^ drop of diluted
hydrocyanic acid in syrup and water, or in syrup of wild cherry
bark (given every 15 minutes)-, or infusion of camphor (made
with boiling water and given cold, a teaspoonful frequently re-
peated) ; brandy and water; clove or green tea; an anodyne in-
jection ; counter-irritant to the stomach (as a mustard plaster, a
hot fomentation of brandy and clove or spice plaster).
Among the class of vegetable emetics are ipecacuanha, san-
guinaria, mustard, lobelia, tobacco, squill ; and mineral emetics,
such as sulphate of zinc, sulphate of copper, tartar emetic, alum,
common salt, turpeth mineraL

CATHARTICS.
Cathartics or purgatives are medicinal agents which evacuate
the bowels, and are capable of fulfilling three different indica-
tions : I. Simply to evacuate the bowels. 2. To excite an in-
creased discharge from the mucous coat of the intestines, and 3.
To stimulate the neighboring viscera and cause them to secrete
a greater quantity of their peculiar fluids. When they produce
watery discharges by stimulating the mucous follicles and ex-
halants, they are termed h\dragogues. When given in overdoses
they are so powerful as to produce violent vomiting and purging,
pain in the abdomen, cold extremities and a sinking pulse. Sev-
eral diff^erent cathartics are usually combined in one formula, when
it is desired to produce all of the indications above referred to.
Some agents of this class produce their effect by absorbing the