ConBtitutional  Diseases. — Remarkable  relief  to  the  paiu
and  soreness  of  acute  rheumatism  has  been  obtained  hy
Lorent  from  tlje  subcutaneous  injection  of  atropine.  This
treatment  has  been  suggested  by  Harley  as  if  it  were  an
original  idea  with  himself.  He  recommends  that  the
atropine  be  injected  in  the  neighborhood  of  the  inflamed
joint.  I  have  followed  this  practice  with  great  relief  to
the  patient.  One  or  two  injections  of  j-J-^  of  a  grain  daily
will  generally  be  sufficient  to  quiet  the  pain ;  but  morphine
may  be  combined  with  it  advantageously,  if  Uie  patient
be  wakeiiil.  At  the  present  time  antipyrin  injected  into
the  limb  or  given  by  the  stomach  is  preferred.
A0  a  Physiologrical  Antagonist. — The  subject  of  the
antagonism  of  morphine  and  atropine  will  be  discussed
hereafter.
The  subcutaneous  injection  of  atropine  may  be  used
against  the  toxic  symptoms  of  certain  vascular  agents,  as
aconite,  veratrnm  viridc,  tartar  emetic,  digitalis,  which
produce  great  depression  of  the  heart's  action.  It  has
been  proposed,  also  on  insufficient  grounds,  for  relief  of
poisoning  by  hj^drocyanic  acid.  In  my  prize  essay  on
atTDpinc  I  have  sliown  tluit  hydrocyanic  acid  in  toxic
doses  acts  too  speedily  for  atropine  to  influence  the  re-
sult, and  that  animals  fully  under  the  ettects  of  atropine
arc  quickly  poisone<l  by  an  ordinary  toxic  dose  of  the
acid.
Atropine  is  nn  antagonist  to  pilocarpine,  muscarine,  and


ATROPINE  AND  PBTSOSTIQMISB.
291


pbysoirtigmiue  (eaerine),  an«i  may  be  used  to  overcome  andi
remove  the  lethal  symptoms  caused  by  either  of  these  ■
ugcnta,

AKTAOOMSH  OF  ATROPINE  AND  PUYSOSTIGMINE  Oil  ESERTNE.
