This section is from the book "Text-Book Of Materia Medica For Nurses", by Lavinia L. Dock. Also available from Amazon: Text-book of materia medica for nurses.
This salt is a somewhat deliquescent powder of salty metallic taste, soluble in water. The precise physiological actions of the salts of gold are not well understood. Clinically the gold preparations are looked upon as alteratives and nerve tonics, improving general nutrition, and more especially the nutrition of the nervous system. The most prominent use of gold is in connection with the alcohol habit. It is believed that in the Keeley Institutes for the cure of alcoholism the treatment consists in part at least of the gold and sodium chloride, with intervening doses of strychnine and atropine.
The average dose in solution or pill form is gr. 1/12-0.005 Gm. Hypodermically it is irritating and painful.
This salt is not in frequent use. Dose, gr. 1/160 (0.00043 Gm.)
This drug is usually given hypodermically. Unpleasant symptoms referable to the cardiac region may be caused by it, as pain and rigor, but they do not last long. Dose, gr. 1/6-2/3. (0.02-0.04 Gm.)
 
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