Symptoms

Hot. or sour taste, burning in the oesophagus and stomach. Thirst, pain in the abdomen, back and head usually vomiting. Face cyanotic, skin cold, pulse weak, convulsions;, coma.

If death, in a few minutes to an hour. It may, how ever, be delayed until as late as the fourteenth day, since this is a systemic as well as a corrosive poison.

Treatment - If seen at once, wash out the stomach with lime water. If not seen at once, remove the stomach contents by emetics (apomorphine hydrochloride gr. 1-10 hvpodermatically, zinc sulphate two grams, or a table-spoonful of mustard to a wineglass of water), repeated in fifteen minutes, if necessary. Keep up the body temperature with dry heat applications. Use morphine hypo-dermatically for the pain. Counteract the depression with strychnine hypodermatically. Should there be insufficient response to this, give one c. c. of adrenalin or suprarenalin solution (1 to 1,000) intramuscularly, and follow with atropine hypodermatically. If stimulation must be kept up, use a saturated solution of camphor in olive oil, one c c, intramuscularly pro re nata until such time as strych nine may be repeated with safety. Allay the thirst and soothe the mucous membranes by the unrestricted use of any demulcenl liquid that may be desired. Milk, albumin water and starch water are suitable. Castor oil or mag nesium sulphate should be given to evacute the contents of the bowels.

Contra-Indicated

Alkalies and alkaline carbonates; the stomach tube, if pain and collapse suggest serious erosion.

Sequelae

Gastritis, enteritis, stricture of the (oesopha-gus and stomach.