This section is from the book "Encyclopedia Of Diet. A Treatise on the Food Question", by Eugene Christian. Also available from Amazon: Encyclopedia of Diet.
Acetanilid is the active principle in many popular headache powders, the formulas of which are not made public. The use of acetanilid by those claiming to cure suffering, or to relieve it, is one of the most glaring malpractises of the day.
Other coal-tar products chemically related to acetanilid are antipyrin, phenace-tin, and various derivatives of benzol and phenol. The general uses of this class of drugs are to reduce fevers and to allay pain. They accomplish this by stupify-ing the nerves and the nerve fibers, which serve as telegraph wires to inform the brain that something is wrong. This is equivalent to killing the messenger that warns us of our sins.
The following are a few of the high alkaloids used by old school physicians in the treatment of nearly all forms of disease:
Laudanum - which is merely another name for opium
Paregoric - a standard baby medicine which is a tincture of opium with camphor and other drugs
Codein - an alkaloid manufactured from morphin
Lyoscine - the alkaloid of henbane
Atropin - an alkaloid extensively used by oculists. (It is contained with other alkaloids in BELLADONNA, which, in turn, is prepared from the plant known as the "Deadly Nightshade")
Hellebore - a powerful alkaloid, is one of the old standard drugs used in the treatment of rheumatic gout
Effect of nice-tin.
 
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