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NARCOTICS (Gr. vapKmnKbs, making numb)

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Originally appearing in Volume V19, Page 240 of the 1911 Encyclopedia Britannica.
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NARCOTICS (Gr. vapKmnKbs, making numb) , a See also:general See also:term for substances having the physiological See also:action, in a healthy See also:animal, of producing lethargy or stupor, which may pass into a See also:state of profound See also:coma or unconsciousness along with See also:complete See also:paralysis, terminating in See also:death. Certain substances of this class are used in See also:medicine for the See also:relief of See also:pain, and are then called anodynes, whilst another See also:group produce profound See also:sleep, and are consequently known as hypnotics. In one sense, anaesthetics, such as See also:chloroform and See also:ether, may be held to be narcotics, but, as they are usually volatile substances causing unconsciousness for a comparatively See also:short See also:time, they are conveniently separated from the true narcotics, the effects of which are much more lasting. These distinctions are to a See also:great extent artificial, as it is evident that a substance capable of producing partial insensibility to pain, or sleep, will inevitably in larger doses cause profound coma ending in death. Hence we find the same substances sometimes classed as anodynes and at other times as hypnotics. For example, small doses of See also:opium, or of one orother of its preparations, relieve pain, whilst Iarger doses See also:act as hypnotics, causing deep sleep passing into coma. Cannabis Indica, See also:belladonna and hyoscyamus, are also See also:anodyne in their action. The See also:chief narcotics are mentioned below. Opium is the inspissated juice of the Papaver somniferum, containing 7.5 to 10.5% of anhydrous See also:morphine. Besides morphine some of the other alkaloids contained in it are of a narcotic nature, notably papaverine, narceine, meconine, cryptopine and narcotine, but the See also:principal anodyne and narcotic effects are due to the morphine See also:alkaloid. Though seasoned opium takers may take 20 to 30 grs. without noticeable effects, i to 3 grs. produces marked symptoms in the western races. See also:Idiosyncrasy is marked in regard to the amount of opium a See also:person can safely take.

The medicinal dose is up to 2 grs., and the smallest dose that has been known to cause death in an adult is 4 gr. The narcotic properties of Morphine vary as to whether it is taken by the See also:

stomach or injected under the skin; 2 grs. by the stomach is dangerous, and a safe medicinal dose by the skin is 4 to 4 gr. The smallest dose that has produced death in an adult was 4 gr. given hypodermically. The motor centres of the See also:brain and See also:spinal See also:cord are first stimulated by opium and morphine and later depressed; death in fatal cases being from paralysis of the See also:respiratory centre of the medulla. For the treatment of poisoning see under OPIUM. Cannabis indica or See also:Indian See also:Hemp (see HEMP).—The See also:part used in medicine is the non-fertilized See also:female spikes of the Cannabis sativa. The active constituent is the See also:resin containing cannabin with the active principle cannabinol, the alkaloids cannabinene and tetanocanabine. Cannabis indica is sold in the See also:East under various names. A confection of the See also:drug made in See also:Arabia is called hashisch. Churrus is the resin scraped off the leaves, and the dried See also:leaf is called See also:bang, gunga or ganga being the name given to the dried flowering tops sold for smoking. The medicinal dose is 4 to 1 gr. of the See also:extract, 2 to 3 grs. is a poisonous dose, but there is no recorded fatal See also:case in See also:man. In Eastern countries the smoking of Cannabis indica produces a See also:form of See also:mania.

The effects of smaller doses are See also:

intoxication of a pleasant See also:character, exaltation, hallucinations and See also:delirium, later See also:dilatation of the pupils, drowsiness, sleep and coma. Indian hemp is an uncertain anodyne and hypnotic. When large quantities have been taken an emetic should be given or the stomach See also:pump used, and endeavour to allay excitement until the effects have passed off. Belladonna and Atropine.—The leaves of the Atropa Belladonna or deadly See also:nightshade of which the active principle is atropine principally used as a sulphate. A small dose of belladonna or atropine causes dryness of the See also:throat and mouth, dilatation of the pupils, dimness of See also:vision except for distant See also:objects and often See also:double vision; The See also:pulse becomes See also:quick, rising, in an adult, from 8o to 120 or 16o beats per See also:minute; and there is often a See also:bright red flush over the skin. The intellectual See also:powers are at first acute and strong, but they soon become confused. There is giddiness, confusion of thought, excitement, a See also:peculiar talkative wakeful restiveness, in which the person shows that his mind is occupied by a See also:train of fancies or is haunted by visions and spectres. Often there is violent delirium before sleep comes on. The sleep after a large dose deepens into stupor, with great See also:muscular prostration or paralysis. During all the time the pupils are widely dilated. Death occurs from failure both of the See also:heart's action and of respiration. The minimum lethal dose is not known, but 8o grs. of the See also:root have caused death ; ib to rlg gr. hypodermically have caused dangerous symptoms and 4 gr. would almost certainly be fatal.

For the medicinal preparations and treatment of poisoning see BELLADONNA. See also:

Stramonium.—The part of the plant used is the leaves and See also:seed of the Datura Stramonium or See also:thorn See also:apple, the alkaloidal constituent being daturine, a variable mixture of hyoscine and atropine. The physiological action is almost identical with belladonna. Poisoning is usually due to See also:children eating the seeds; the lethal dose is unknown. The symptoms produced are divided into three stages—delirium, sleep and deep coma. In case of slight poisoning a rash is one of the toxic symptoms. The treatment of poisoning is to give See also:emetics, See also:wash out the stomach and give stimulants and See also:pilocarpine subcutaneously, also to apply warmth and to use artificial respiration if necessary. Hyoscyamus, the leaves of the Hyoscyamus See also:niger or See also:henbane (q.v.). The active principle is hyoscyamine. " The physiological action is almost similar to belladonna, with excitement and cardiac stimulation and afterwards depression and stupor, but the action of hyoscyamus on the heart is more powerful. In large doses it is a strong cerebral depressant, and produces dilatation of the See also:pupil; a'.a gr. of hyoscamine produces marked effects, sleepiness and dryness of the mouth; a gr. by subcutaneous injection has produced fatal results. The treatment of hyoscyamus poisoning is similar to that of stramonium.

Hops (the Humulus Lupulus), containing the active principle lupuline, and Lactucarium, the juice of the Laciuca virosa (See also:

lettuce), containing an alkaloid lactucine, are very feeble narcotics, causing heaviness and sleep if taken in large doses. See also:Chloral See also:Hydrate is a pure hypnotic which in larger doses is a powerful narcotic, producing prolonged sleep with depression of the cardiac and motor centres. It is an See also:intrinsic cardiac See also:poison, the heart being arrested in diastole, with coincident respiratory failure. Chloral hydrate is not See also:uniform in its action, some See also:people manifesting great susceptibility to the drug. It is safe in small doses of Io to 20 grs. It is difficult to say what is a lethal dose. Cases are recorded of recovery after 336 grs. taken with an equal amount of See also:potassium bromide and even after a dose of 595 grs., but in susceptible persons to to 15 grs. have produced toxic symptoms and death has occurred after doses of from 30 to 45 grs. If seen See also:early, the treatment is an emetic, but if the poison should have been already absorbed, stimulants, hot See also:coffee, See also:strychnine or digitalin hypodermically, with perhaps artificial respiration, may be required. See also:Alcohol in large quantities is a strong narcotic, producing the typical stages of preliminary excitement followed by drowsiness and profound coma, during which death may occur. The treatment is washing out the stomach to prevent the absorption of the poison and the use of strychnine hypodermically.

End of Article: NARCOTICS (Gr. vapKmnKbs, making numb)

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