ON SOME PECULIAR EFFECTS OBSERVED FROM THE USE OF THE INDIAN HEMP. By E. C.
BENSLEY, Assistant-Suuguon.
The tincture of Indian hemp is a drug that I have used largely, and have much confidence in it for the treatment of menorrhagia and of uterine haemorrhages generally. I am, very
in the habit of employing it in combination with other haemostatics ; but in two cases that have come within my practice during the past eighteen or twenty months, I have
however,
a train of symptoms follow its use, which I now feel convinced are the result of it, and as I do not find these symptoms noticed in any standard work that I have consulted, I put
noticed
them before my professional brethren with the view of ascerfrom them whether they have ever observed the same in their practice. A lady who had recently recovered from a sharp attack of
taining
remittent fever, suffered at her usual period with a profuse and weakening menstrual discharge. The tincture of Indian hemp, in five minim
doses, in combination with gallic acid, morphia, cinnamon, were prescribed every six hours. After taking the third or fourth dose, and while sitting in an easy chair, she suddenly fainted; her maid-servant noticed a pallor come over her face, and before she could remark about it, her mistress was off in a swooning fit. The maid dashed water on to her face, applied the "salts" bottle to her nose, laid her in bed, and sent for me. When I arrived, the lady was to some extent sensible, but in such a dreamy, heavy state as to require rousing up before she could give a reply; her skin was cold, face pale, pulse exceedingly weak, and pupils dilated. I gave her some stimulants, which slightly revived her, and the first question she asked me was whether I thought she was going to die. She, however, very soon fell into a healthy deep, and awoke as well I satisfied myself that it was not a as she previously was. sudden haemorrhage that had caused this state of syncope ; on the contrary, her complaint was much better. In the second case, a lady, Mrs. C., had been suffering, for four or five days before consulting me, from uterine haemorrhage, the result, as I felt.convinced, of excessive lac:ation. I prescribed the mixture of Indian hemp, &c., as previously mentioned, and half an hour after taking the second dose she went to a dinner party, and while sitting at table she suddenly fainted. The gentleman sitting next to her noticed that she looked, as he said, " pale as a sheep," and she muttered something he could not understand ; but before he could get up to assist her, and infusion of
she had fainted. I asked Mrs. C. to write to me her symptoms, and slxe thus describes them :?" After dressing, I thought I should take a dose of my medicine before going out to dinner, and took it; but at dinner-time I felt giddy, slightly at first, but quickly
increasing, until I found everything going round. talk, but felt I could not say exactly what I wanted,
I tried to and then I did not remember anything till Mrs. II. awoke me, and gave me but even then a warm cup of tea, which partially revived me, I felt stupid." Mrs. C., not having any suspicion of the medi-
cine producing this effect, took another dose of it the following morning. A short time after taking it she fainted; her body was cold, and her | face very pale; her husband laid her
in bed, gave her a dose of sal volatile, and sent for me. I arrived after some delay, and found her sound asleep ; after soino difficulty in awakening her, she answered me a few questions, and again fell asleep. I gave her a dose of stimulants, and directed the husband to give her another dose a short time after.
saying better,
In the afternoon she was so well, that she wrote to mo the complaint for which I was treating her was so much and that as she had entirely got over her fainting and
sleepiness,
she
hoped
I would allow her to drive out to call on a
friend. "When the first case dian
occurred, I became suspicious of the Inhemp; but being loath to attach a stigma to a favorite
THE INDIAN MEDICAL GAZETTE.
|7tf
I satisfied my mind with other causes for the fainting, and continued using the drug largely in both private and hospital practice. And, as I write this, I have three female prisoners of the Midnapore jail under my treatment for profuse menstrua-
medicine,
tion, all of them being treated with the before mentioned pre-
scription.
But after
symptoms, I feel
meeting
no
with the second ease of
alarminghemp,
doubt whatever that the Indian
acting upon some constitutions, will produce the results I have noticed. Both the ladies are young, well conditioned, and healthy, and of pure European descent. Dr. Pereira's Materia Medica gives perhaps the best description of the physiological action of the Indian hemp that I have
read, and its effects are summed up to be those of a hypnotic anodyne, antispasmodic and phrenic. Dr. Clendinning speaks of its as a nervine stimulant in langour and anxiety, and he says that it raises the pulse and spirits. Dr. Copland says that it produces contraction of the uterus ; and Dr. McClintock calls it a good hajmostatic. For all these effects I think the drug very
fairly deserves credit; but it should be borne in mind that in some constitutions, with a peculiar idiosyncrasy, such as my two patients appear to possess, the Indian hemp will act as a nervine depressant; this depressed, or, I may say, partially paralysed condition of the brain being followed by an irregular distribution of blood in the cerebral vessels, and hence fainting. In all such cases it would be highly dangerous to continue the use of the Indian hemp, when once any depressant effects are observed.*
January 29th,
18GG.
* There can be no doubt that such effects as are described by Mr. Bensley not unfrequently follow the administration of Cannabis. We should say that a patient taking this remedy, ought carefully to be kept recumbent. If further persevered in, the tincture of hemp produces symptoms of exciteinent, much resembling those of acute mania; yet there can be no doubt of its being a very valuable remedy in uterine hcetaorrhage, whether hon-puerperal or after abortion,?Ed., I. M, G.
[July I,
1866.
BENSLEY, Assistant-Suuguon.
The tincture of Indian hemp is a drug that I have used largely, and have much confidence in it for the treatment of menorrhagia and of uterine haemorrhages generally. I am, very
in the habit of employing it in combination with other haemostatics ; but in two cases that have come within my practice during the past eighteen or twenty months, I have
however,
a train of symptoms follow its use, which I now feel convinced are the result of it, and as I do not find these symptoms noticed in any standard work that I have consulted, I put
noticed
them before my professional brethren with the view of ascerfrom them whether they have ever observed the same in their practice. A lady who had recently recovered from a sharp attack of
taining
remittent fever, suffered at her usual period with a profuse and weakening menstrual discharge. The tincture of Indian hemp, in five minim
doses, in combination with gallic acid, morphia, cinnamon, were prescribed every six hours. After taking the third or fourth dose, and while sitting in an easy chair, she suddenly fainted; her maid-servant noticed a pallor come over her face, and before she could remark about it, her mistress was off in a swooning fit. The maid dashed water on to her face, applied the "salts" bottle to her nose, laid her in bed, and sent for me. When I arrived, the lady was to some extent sensible, but in such a dreamy, heavy state as to require rousing up before she could give a reply; her skin was cold, face pale, pulse exceedingly weak, and pupils dilated. I gave her some stimulants, which slightly revived her, and the first question she asked me was whether I thought she was going to die. She, however, very soon fell into a healthy deep, and awoke as well I satisfied myself that it was not a as she previously was. sudden haemorrhage that had caused this state of syncope ; on the contrary, her complaint was much better. In the second case, a lady, Mrs. C., had been suffering, for four or five days before consulting me, from uterine haemorrhage, the result, as I felt.convinced, of excessive lac:ation. I prescribed the mixture of Indian hemp, &c., as previously mentioned, and half an hour after taking the second dose she went to a dinner party, and while sitting at table she suddenly fainted. The gentleman sitting next to her noticed that she looked, as he said, " pale as a sheep," and she muttered something he could not understand ; but before he could get up to assist her, and infusion of
she had fainted. I asked Mrs. C. to write to me her symptoms, and slxe thus describes them :?" After dressing, I thought I should take a dose of my medicine before going out to dinner, and took it; but at dinner-time I felt giddy, slightly at first, but quickly
increasing, until I found everything going round. talk, but felt I could not say exactly what I wanted,
I tried to and then I did not remember anything till Mrs. II. awoke me, and gave me but even then a warm cup of tea, which partially revived me, I felt stupid." Mrs. C., not having any suspicion of the medi-
cine producing this effect, took another dose of it the following morning. A short time after taking it she fainted; her body was cold, and her | face very pale; her husband laid her
in bed, gave her a dose of sal volatile, and sent for me. I arrived after some delay, and found her sound asleep ; after soino difficulty in awakening her, she answered me a few questions, and again fell asleep. I gave her a dose of stimulants, and directed the husband to give her another dose a short time after.
saying better,
In the afternoon she was so well, that she wrote to mo the complaint for which I was treating her was so much and that as she had entirely got over her fainting and
sleepiness,
she
hoped
I would allow her to drive out to call on a
friend. "When the first case dian
occurred, I became suspicious of the Inhemp; but being loath to attach a stigma to a favorite
THE INDIAN MEDICAL GAZETTE.
|7tf
I satisfied my mind with other causes for the fainting, and continued using the drug largely in both private and hospital practice. And, as I write this, I have three female prisoners of the Midnapore jail under my treatment for profuse menstrua-
medicine,
tion, all of them being treated with the before mentioned pre-
scription.
But after
symptoms, I feel
meeting
no
with the second ease of
alarminghemp,
doubt whatever that the Indian
acting upon some constitutions, will produce the results I have noticed. Both the ladies are young, well conditioned, and healthy, and of pure European descent. Dr. Pereira's Materia Medica gives perhaps the best description of the physiological action of the Indian hemp that I have
read, and its effects are summed up to be those of a hypnotic anodyne, antispasmodic and phrenic. Dr. Clendinning speaks of its as a nervine stimulant in langour and anxiety, and he says that it raises the pulse and spirits. Dr. Copland says that it produces contraction of the uterus ; and Dr. McClintock calls it a good hajmostatic. For all these effects I think the drug very
fairly deserves credit; but it should be borne in mind that in some constitutions, with a peculiar idiosyncrasy, such as my two patients appear to possess, the Indian hemp will act as a nervine depressant; this depressed, or, I may say, partially paralysed condition of the brain being followed by an irregular distribution of blood in the cerebral vessels, and hence fainting. In all such cases it would be highly dangerous to continue the use of the Indian hemp, when once any depressant effects are observed.*
January 29th,
18GG.
* There can be no doubt that such effects as are described by Mr. Bensley not unfrequently follow the administration of Cannabis. We should say that a patient taking this remedy, ought carefully to be kept recumbent. If further persevered in, the tincture of hemp produces symptoms of exciteinent, much resembling those of acute mania; yet there can be no doubt of its being a very valuable remedy in uterine hcetaorrhage, whether hon-puerperal or after abortion,?Ed., I. M, G.
[July I,
1866.
