Page 115 - My FlipBook
P. 115
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nerve centers with the effect of producing death quickly. It
isn't often that we see uremic poisoning coming up so sud-
denly and destroying life within a comparatively few hours,
yet where the stoppage is complete life does not continue
long.
Another case was an operation on the bladder, after
which an inflammatory process developed that prevented
completely the passage of the urine into the bladder. Death
supervened in a couple of days from uremic poisoning.
In any case where the elimination of urea is interfered
with we get this depression of the nervous system, with
paroxysms often of apparent insanity, or rigors, and death
will soon occur unless the elimination of urea is re-estab-
lished. This I give you as an illustration of the formation of
poisons by the physiological processes of man and the higher
animals. The formation of these poisons by the plants and
by the micro-organisms is not different, as a physiological
process, but is in every way similar.
I mentioned in my last lecture the four prominent
poisons formed by micro-organisms, i. e., the general names
—the alkaloidal poisons ; the ptomaines ; the leucomaines
the non-alkaloidal poisons, called toxins, and the tox-albu-
mins. These you understand to be general names covering
classes of poisons. Whereas, I told you the other day when
they are isolated and their characters determined so that we
can know the individual poison definitely, they are named as
the alkaloids from the higher plants are named.
Now, the production of disease is something different
from a simple poisoning by a dose of any given poison. Sup-
pose we give a dose of opium—we get stupor as the principal
effect of the dose ; it passes away in a short time ; the poison
is eliminated from the system if too much has not been
given ; within twelve or twenty-four hours the effect of the
drug passes and the person recovers. If the dose has been
too great, death supervenes quickly. If we give strychnia
we get rigors. If the dose is not too great the drug is elimi-
nated and the animal recovers ; if the dose is too great the
animal succumbs and dies quickly. We might carry the ex-
amples to any extent. Take curara, for instance ; stupor oc-
curs ; there is a paralysis of sensation, a paralysis of the
locomotor muscles, while the vegetative processes go on
103
;
nerve centers with the effect of producing death quickly. It
isn't often that we see uremic poisoning coming up so sud-
denly and destroying life within a comparatively few hours,
yet where the stoppage is complete life does not continue
long.
Another case was an operation on the bladder, after
which an inflammatory process developed that prevented
completely the passage of the urine into the bladder. Death
supervened in a couple of days from uremic poisoning.
In any case where the elimination of urea is interfered
with we get this depression of the nervous system, with
paroxysms often of apparent insanity, or rigors, and death
will soon occur unless the elimination of urea is re-estab-
lished. This I give you as an illustration of the formation of
poisons by the physiological processes of man and the higher
animals. The formation of these poisons by the plants and
by the micro-organisms is not different, as a physiological
process, but is in every way similar.
I mentioned in my last lecture the four prominent
poisons formed by micro-organisms, i. e., the general names
—the alkaloidal poisons ; the ptomaines ; the leucomaines
the non-alkaloidal poisons, called toxins, and the tox-albu-
mins. These you understand to be general names covering
classes of poisons. Whereas, I told you the other day when
they are isolated and their characters determined so that we
can know the individual poison definitely, they are named as
the alkaloids from the higher plants are named.
Now, the production of disease is something different
from a simple poisoning by a dose of any given poison. Sup-
pose we give a dose of opium—we get stupor as the principal
effect of the dose ; it passes away in a short time ; the poison
is eliminated from the system if too much has not been
given ; within twelve or twenty-four hours the effect of the
drug passes and the person recovers. If the dose has been
too great, death supervenes quickly. If we give strychnia
we get rigors. If the dose is not too great the drug is elimi-
nated and the animal recovers ; if the dose is too great the
animal succumbs and dies quickly. We might carry the ex-
amples to any extent. Take curara, for instance ; stupor oc-
curs ; there is a paralysis of sensation, a paralysis of the
locomotor muscles, while the vegetative processes go on
103
