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Don't Cook That

Stimulants for Opium Poisoning

Coffee, brandy and strychnine for a narcotic overdose, and keep the patient marching.

From
Household Discoveries and Mrs. Curtis's Cook Book
Published
1914
Yikes Scale
Call poison control

Exactly as printed, 1914

Antidotes.-In nearly all cases of poisoning, olive oil, if available, can be given in large doses, namely, a pint or more, as it neutralizes most poisons except phosphorus. This can be followed by the whites of two eggs. When in doubt, use the oil followed by the eggs. In giving antidotes, two general principles should be observed: namely, that acids tend to neutralize alkalies and alkalies neutralize acids. For poisoning from acids, such as muriatic, oxalic, acetic, sulphuric (oil of vitriol), nitric, or tartaric, use soapsuds, magnesia, limewater, whiting, plaster scraped from the wall, milk, oil, and baking soda. Also by vomiting. In feeding the patient, do so by the rectum, as the stomach will be sore.

For poisoning from alkalies, such as ammonia, potash, or soda, use acids as an antidote, such as vinegar, lemon juice, and orange juice, followed by large doses of olive oil, castor oil, and emetics. Another group of poisons are the narcotics. In this class are chloroform, chloral, ether, and the opium preparations, such as opium, morphine, laudanum, paregoric, and soothing sirups. Provide plenty of fresh air, induce artificial breathing, apply ammonia to nostrils, give cathartics and stimulants, such as coffee, brandy, and strychnine. Compel the patient to move about. If unconscious, keep head low. The following poisons are mentioned specifically with their treatment: Carbolic Acid and Creosote.-Use powdered chalk, Epsom salts, white of egg, milk, glycerin, and oil. Empty the stomach.


Household Discoveries and Mrs. Curtis's Cook Book, 1914. Public domain; transcription unaltered.

So what happens if I make it?

The logic is symmetrical and wrong: the opium is a depressant, so give a stimulant. Strychnine does stimulate — it is a convulsant that causes violent muscle spasm — and it has a narrow margin between a dose that acts and a dose that kills.

The brandy makes it worse rather than better, adding a second depressant. The walking is the only part that is merely useless.

Notes from the 21st century

  • There is a real antidote now. Naloxone reverses opioid overdose and is available without prescription in much of the US. It did not exist until the 1960s.
  • Strychnine was a mainstream tonic. It appears in period pharmacopoeias as a stimulant and appetite tonic in small doses, which is how it reached a household first-aid table.
  • The page opens with olive oil. It recommends a pint or more for “nearly all cases of poisoning,” followed by the whites of two eggs. It is a general-purpose answer to a question that does not have one.

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