ALKALIES AND THEIR SALTS—­CONCENTRATED LYE, WOODASH LYE, CAUSTIC POTASH, AMMONIA, HARTSHORN.—­Symptoms:  Caustic, acrid taste, excessive heat in the throat, stomach and [Transcriber’s Note:  The original text reads ‘intenstines’] intestines; vomiting of bloody matter, cold sweats, hiccough, purging of bloody stools.—­Treatment:  The common vegetable acids.  Common vinegar being always at hand, is most frequently used.  The fixed oils, as castor, flaxseed, almond and olive oils form soaps with the alkalies and thus also destroy their caustic effect.  They should be given in large quantity.

ALCOHOL, BRANDY, AND OTHER SPIRITUOUS LIQUORS.—­Symptoms:  Confusion of thought, inability to walk or stand, dizziness, stupor, highly flushed or pale face, noisy breathing.—­Treatment:  After emptying the stomach, pour cold water on the head and back of the neck, rub or slap the wrists and palms, and the ankles and soles of the feet, and give strong, hot coffee, or aromatic spirits of hartshorn, in teaspoonful doses in water.  The warmth of the body must be sustained.

ANTIMONY, AND ITS PREPARATIONS.  TARTAR EMETIC, ANTIMONIAL WINE, KERME’S MINERAL.—­Symptoms:  Faintness and nausea, soon followed by painful and continued vomiting, severe diarrhoea, constriction and burning sensation in the throat, cramps, or spasmodic twitchings, with symptoms of nervous derangement, and great prostration of strength, often terminating in death.—­Treatment:  If vomiting has not been produced, it should be effected by tickling the fauces, and administering copious draughts of warm water.  Astringment infusions, such as of gall, oak bark, Peruvian bark, act as antidotes, and should be given promptly.  Powdered yellow bark may be used until the infusion is prepared, or very strong green tea should be given.  To stop the vomiting, should it continue, blister over the stomach by applying a cloth wet with strong spirits of hartshorn, and then sprinkle on the one-eighth to one-fourth of a grain of morphia.

ARSENIC AND ITS PREPARATIONS—­RATSBANE, FOWLER’S SOLUTION, ETC.—­Symptoms:  Generally within an hour pain and heat are felt in the stomach, soon followed by vomiting, with a burning dryness of the throat and great thirst; the matters vomited are generally colored, either green yellow, or brownish, and sometimes bloody.  Diarrhoea or dysentery ensues, while the pulse becomes small and rapid, yet irregular.  Breathing much oppressed; difficulty in vomiting may occur, while cramps, convulsions, or even paralysis often precede death, which sometimes takes place within five or six hours after arsenic has been taken.—­Treatment:  Give a prompt emetic, and then hydrate of peroxide of iron (recently prepared) in tablespoonful doses every ten or fifteen minutes until the urgent symptoms are relieved.  In the absence of this, or while it is being prepared, give large draughts of new milk and raw eggs, limewater and oil, melted butter, magnesia in a large quantity of water, or even if nothing else is at hand, flour and water, always, however, giving an emetic the first thing, or causing vomiting by tickling the throat with a feather, etc.  The inflammation of the stomach which follows must be treated by blisters, hot fomentations, mucilaginous drinks, etc., etc.