See also:

• BELLADONNA (from the Ital. belle donna, " beautiful lady," the berries having been used as a cosmetic)

BELLADONNA (from the Ital. belle donna, " beautiful See also:

• LADY (0. Eng. hlaefdige, Mid. Eng. ldfdi, lavedi; the first part of the word is hldf, loaf, bread, as in the corresponding hldford, lord; the second part is usually taken to be from the root dig-, to knead, seen also in " dough "; the sense development fr

lady," the berries having been used as a cosmetic)  , the roots and leaves of Atropa See also:

• BELLADONNA (from the Ital. belle donna, " beautiful lady," the berries having been used as a cosmetic)

belladonna, or deadly See also:

• NIGHTSHADE

nightshade (q.v.), widely used in See also:

• MEDICINE

medicine on See also:

• ACCOUNT
• ACCOUNT (through O. Fr. acont, Late Lat. comptum, cornputare, to calculate)

account of the alkaloids which they contain . Of these the more important are atropine (or atropia), hyoscyamine, hyoscine and belladonine; atropine is the most important, occurring as the malate to the extent of about 0.47 % in the leaves, and from o•6 to 0.25 % in the roots . Atropine, C17HnNO3, was discovered in 1833 by P . L . Geiger and See also:

• HESSE
• HESSE (Lat. Hessia, Ger. Hessen)

Hesse and by Mein in the tissues of Atropa belladonna, from which it may be extracted by means of See also:

• CHLOROFORM (trichlor-methane), CHC13

chloroform . By See also:

• CRYSTALLIZATION

crystallization from See also:

• ALCOHOL

alcohol it is obtained as colourless needles, melting at 115° . See also:

• HYDROLYSIS (Gr. 6Swp, water, Anew, to loosen)

Hydrolysis with hydrochloric See also:

• ACID (from the Lat. root ac-, sharp; acere, to be sour)

acid or baryta See also:

• WATER

water gives tropic acid and See also:

• TROPINE, C8H15NO

tropine; on the other See also:

• HAND
• HAND (a word common to Teutonic languages; cf. Ger. Hand, Goth. handus)
• HAND, FERDINAND GOTTHELF (1786-185r)

hand, by boiling equimolecular quantities of these substances with dilute hydrochloric acid, atropine is reformed . Since both these substances have been synthesized (see TROPINE), the artificial formation of atropine is accomplished . Atropine is optically inactive; hyoscyamine, possibly a See also:

• PHYSICAL

physical isomer, which yields atropine when heated to ro8.6°, is laevorotatory . Medicine.—The See also:

• OFFICIAL (Late Lat. QJicialis, for class. Lat. apparitor, from officium, office, duty)

official doses of atropine are from -a--o- to See also:

• AIR (from an Indo-European root meaning " breathe," " blow ")
• AIR, or ASBEN

Air See also:

• GRAIN (derived through the French from Lat. granum, seed, from an Aryan root meaning " to wear down," which also appears in the common Teutonic word " corn ")

grain, and the sulphate, which is in See also:

• GENERAL
• GENERAL (Lat. generalis, of or relating to a genus, kind or class)

general use in medicine, has a similar dose . It is highly important to observe that the official doses of the various pharmacopoeias may with safety be greatly exceeded in practice . They are based on the experimental toxic, as distinguished from lethal dose .

A toxic dose causes unpleasant symptoms, but in certain cases, such as this, it may require very many times a toxic dose to produce the lethal effect . In other words, whilst one-fiftieth of a grain may cause unpleasant symptoms, it may need more than a grain to kill . So valuable are certain of the properties of atropine that it is often desirable to give doses of one-twentieth or one-tenth of a grain; but these will never be ventured upon by the practitioner who is ignorant of the See also:

• GREAT

great See also:

• INTERVAL

interval between the minimum toxic and the minimum lethal dose . It actually needs twenty to See also:

• THIRTY

thirty grains of atropine to kill a See also:

• RABBIT

rabbit: the See also:

• ANIMAL
• ANIMAL (Lat. animalis, from anima, breath, soul)

animal is, however, somewhat exceptional in this regard . The most valuable preparations of this potent See also:

• DRUG
• DRUG (from Fr. drogue, a word common in Romance languages, cf. Span. and Ital. droga; the origin of the word is obscure, but may possibly be connected with Dutch droog, dry)

drug are the liquor atropinae sulphatis, which is a 1% See also:

• SOLUTION (from Lat. solvere, to loosen, dissolve)

solution, and the lamella—for insertion within the conjunctival See also:

• SAC

sac—which contains one five-thousandth See also:

• PART

part of a grain of the See also:

• ALKALOID

alkaloid . See also:

• PHARMACOLOGY

Pharmacology.—When rubbed into the skin with such sub-stances as alcohol or glycerine, which are absorbed, atropine is carried through the epidermis with them, and in this manner—or when simply applied to a raw See also:

• SURFACE

surface—it paralyses the terminals of the See also:

• PAIN (from Lat. poena, Gr. robin, penalty, that which must be paid: O. Fr. peine)
• PAIN, BARRY (1867– )

pain-conducting sensory nerves . It acts similarly, though less markedly, upon the nerves which determine the secretion of the See also:

• PERSPIRATION (Lat. per, through, and spirare, to breathe)

perspiration, and is therefore a See also:

• LOCAL

local anaesthetic or See also:

• ANODYNE (from Gr. av-, privative, and oSi vo, pain)

anodyne and an anhidrotic . Being rapidly absorbed into the See also:

• BLOOD

blood, it exercises a See also:

• LONG, GEORGE (1800-1879)
• LONG, JOHN DAVIS (1838– )

long and highly important See also:

• SERIES (a Latin word from serere, to join)

series of actions on nearly every part and See also:

• FUNCTION

function of the See also:

• NERVOUS

nervous See also:

• SYSTEM

system . Perhaps its most remarkable See also:

• ACTION

action is that upon the terminals of nearly all the secretory nerves in the See also:

• BODY

body . This causes the entire skin to become.dry—as in the See also:

• CASE
• CASE, JOHN (d. 1600)

case of the local action above mentioned; and it arrests the secretion of saliva and mucus in the mouth and See also:

• THROAT (O. Eng. protu, prote or }Prota, possibly from preotan, to press, whence threat, or, with loss of initial s, connected with strut, to swell)

throat, causing these parts to become very dry and to feel very uncomfortable . This latter result is due to See also:

• PARALYSIS, or PALSY (from Gr. aapal,6a , to relax; Wycliffe has palesy, and another old form of the word is parlesy)

paralysis of the chorda tympani See also:

• NERVE (Lat. nervus, Gr. vevpov, a bowstring)

nerve, which is mainly responsible for the salivary secretion . Certain nerve See also:

• FIBRES
• FIBRES (or FIBERS, in American spelling; from Lat. fibra, apparently connected either with filum, thread, or findere, to split)

fibres from the sympathetic nervous system, which can also cause the secretion of a 692 Troyte on See also:

• CHANGE (derived through the Fr. from the Late Lat. cambium, cambiare, to barter; the ultimate derivation is probably from the root which appears in the Gr. «a urmu', to bend)

Change-Ringing; The Duffield Method, by See also:

• SIR

Sir A .

P . See also:

• HEYWOOD
• HEYWOOD, JOHN (b. 1497)
• HEYWOOD, THOMAS (d. c. 165o)

Heywood, See also:

• BART, JEAN (1651-1702)

Bart., its inventor . Somewhat See also:

• PRIOR (from Lat. prior—former, and hence superior, through O. Fr. priour)
• PRIOR, MATTHEW (1664-1721)

prior to these are various See also:

• WORKS

works by the Rev . H . T . Ellacombe, inventor of a chiming apparatus which bears his name, and a See also:

• PIONEER

pioneer in See also:

• BELFRY (Mid. Eng. berfrey, through Med. Lat. berefredus, from Teut. bergfrid or bercvrit, which, according to the New Eng. Dict., is a combination of bergen, to protect, and frida, safety or peace; the word thus meaning a shelter; the change from r to 1,—

belfry reform . Among these are accounts of the See also:

• CHURCH
• CHURCH (according to most authorities derived from the Gr. Kvpcaxov [&wµa], " the Lord's [house]," and common to many Teutonic, Slavonic and other languages under various forms—Scottish kirk, Ger. Kirche, Swed. kirka, Dan. kirke, Russ. tserkov, Buig. cerk
• CHURCH, FREDERICK EDWIN (1826-1900)
• CHURCH, GEORGE EARL (1835–1910)
• CHURCH, RICHARD WILLIAM (1815–189o)
• CHURCH, SIR RICHARD (1784–1873)

church bells of See also:

• DEVON, EARLS OF

Devon, See also:

• SOMERSET, EARLS AND DUKES OF
• SOMERSET, EDMUND BEAUFORT, DUKE OF (c. 1404–1455)
• SOMERSET, EDWARD SEYMOUR, DUKE OF (c. 1506–1552)
• SOMERSET, LORD ROBERT EDWARD HENRY (1776-1842)
• SOMERSET, ROBERT CARR (or KER), EARL OF (e. 1590-1645)

Somerset and See also:

• GLOUCESTER
• GLOUCESTER (abbreviated as pronounced Glo'ster)
• GLOUCESTER, EARLS AND DUKES OF
• GLOUCESTER, GILBERT DE CLARE, EARL OF (1243-1295)
• GLOUCESTER, RICHARD DE CLARE, EARL OF (1222-1262)
• GLOUCESTER, ROBERT, EARL OF (d. 1147)
• GLOUCESTER, THOMAS OF WOODSTOCK, DUKE

Gloucester, and See also:

• PAMPHLETS

pamphlets on Belfries and Ringers, Chiming, &c.; much of their contents being summarized in The Ringer's See also:

• GUIDE (in Mid. Eng. gyde, from the Fr. guide; the earlier French form was guie, English " guy," the d was due to the Italian form guida; the ultimate origin is probably Teutonic, the word being connected with the base seen in O. Eng. witan, to know)

Guide to the Church Bells of Devon, by C . See also:

• PEARSON, CHARLES HENRY (1830-1894)
• PEARSON, JOHN (1612-1686)
• PEARSON, JOHN LOUGHBOROUGH (1817-1897)

Pearson (1888) . A Glossary of Technical Terms used in connexion with church bells and change-ringing was published (19o1) under the auspices of the Central See also:

• COUNCIL (Lat. concilium, from cum, together, and the root cal, to call)

Council of Church See also:

• BELL
• BELL, ALEXANDER MELVILLE (1819—1905)
• BELL, ANDREW (1753—1832)
• BELL, GEORGE JOSEPH (1770-1843)
• BELL, HENRY (1767-1830)
• BELL, HENRY GLASSFORD (1803-1874)
• BELL, JACOB (1810-1859)
• BELL, JOHN (1691-178o)
• BELL, JOHN (1763-1820)
• BELL, JOHN (1797-1869)
• BELL, ROBERT (1800-1867)
• BELL, SIR CHARLES (1774—1842)

Bell Ringers . On the See also:

• HISTORY

history of church bells and customs connected with them much curious See also:

• INFORMATION (from Lat. informare, to give shape or form to, to represent, describe)

information is given in See also:

• NORTH
• NORTH, BARONS
• NORTH, MARIANNE (1830—1890)
• NORTH, ROGER (1653-1734)
• NORTH, SIR THOMAS (1535?-16o1?)

North's See also:

• ENGLISH

English Bells and Bell See also:

• LORE
• LORE, AMBROISE DE (1396-1446)

Lore (1888) . By the same author are monographs on the church bells of See also:

• LEICESTERSHIRE

Leicestershire, See also:

• NORTHAMPTONSHIRE

Northamptonshire, See also:

• LINCOLNSHIRE

Lincolnshire and See also:

• HERTFORDSHIRE [HERrs]

Hertfordshire . There are similar works on the church bells of See also:

• SUFFOLK
• SUFFOLK, CHARLES BRANDON, 1ST DUKE OF (c. 1484–'545)
• SUFFOLK, EARLS AND DUKES OF
• SUFFOLK, THOMAS HOWARD, 1ST EARL OF (1561-1626)
• SUFFOLK, WILLIAM DE LA POLE

Suffolk and See also:

• CAMBRIDGESHIRE

Cambridgeshire, by Dr See also:

• RAVEN (O.E. hrafn, ,Icel. hrafn, Dan. ravn, Du. raaf, Ger. Rabe)

Raven; of See also:

• HUNTINGDONSHIRE (HUNTS)

Huntingdonshire, by the Rev .

T . M . N . See also:

• OWEN, JOHN (1616-1683)
• OWEN, JOHN [OVENUS Or AUDOENUS] (c. 1560-1622)
• OWEN, ROBERT (1771-1858)
• OWEN, SIR HUGH (1804-1881)
• OWEN, SIR RICHARD (1804–1892)

Owen; and on the church bells of See also:

• ESSEX
• ESSEX, ARTHUR CAPEL
• ESSEX, EARLS OF
• ESSEX, KINGDOM OF
• ESSEX, ROBERT DEVEREUX
• ESSEX, ROBERT DEVEREUX, 2ND2 EARL OF (1566-1601)
• ESSEX, WALTER DEVEREUX, IST2 EARL OF (1541–1576)

Essex, by the Rev . C . Deedes . A compilation and See also:

• SUMMARY

summary of many data of bell-lore will be found in A See also:

• BOOK

Book about Bells, by the Rev . G . S . Tyack; and in a See also:

• VOLUME

volume by Dr Raven in the " See also:

• ANTIQUARY

Antiquary's Books " series (See also:

• METHUEN, BARONY OF

Methuen, 1906), entitled The Bells of See also:

• ENGLAND
• ENGLAND, THE CHURCH OF

England, which deals with the antiquarian See also:

• SIDE
• SIDE (mod. Eski Adalia)

side of bell-lore . See also Quarterly See also:

• REVIEW (Fr. revue, from revoir, to see again, Lat. re and videre)

Review, No. exc . (See also:

• SEPTEMBER (Lat. septem, seven)

September 1854) ; See also:

• WINDSOR
• WINDSOR (properly NEw WINDSOR)

Windsor See also:

• MAGAZINE

Magazine (See also:

• DECEMBER (Lat. decent, ten)

December 1896) ; See also:

• LORD
• LORD (O. Eng. hldford, i.e. hldfweard, the warder or keeper of bread, hlIf, loaf; the word is not represented in any other Teutonic language)
• LORD, JOHN (1810-1894)

Lord See also:

• RAYLEIGH, JOHN WILLIAM STRUTT

Rayleigh's See also:

• PAPER
• PAPER (Fr. papier, from Lat. papyrus)

paper " On the Tones cf Bells " in the Phil .

See also:

• MAP
• MAP (or MAPES), WALTER (d. c. 1208/9)

Map. for See also:

• JANUARY

January 189o; and a series of articles from the See also:

• GUARDIAN

Guardian, reprinted as a pamphlet under the See also:

• TITLE (0. Fr. title, mod. titre, from Lat. titulus)

title, Church Bells and Bell-ringing . (T . L . P.) See also:

• HOUSE
• HOUSE (O. Eng. hiss, a word common to Teutonic languages, cf. Dut. huis, Ger. Haus; in Gothic it is only found in gudhiss, a temple; it may be ultimately connected with the root of " hide," conceal)

House Bells.—Buildings are commonly provided with bells, conveniently arranged so as to enable attendants to be summoned to the different rooms . In the old system, which has been largely superseded by pneumatic and still more by electric bells, the bells themselves are of the See also:

• ORDINARY (med. Lat. ordinarius, Fr. ordinaire)

ordinary conical shape and are provided' with clappers hung loosely inside them . Being sup-ported on springs they continue to See also:

• SWING, DAVID (1830-1894)

swing, and therefore to give out See also:

• SOUND
• SOUND, THE (Danish Oresund)

sound as the clapper knocks against the sides, for some See also:

• TIME (0. Eng. Lima, cf. Icel. timi, Swed. timme, hour, Dan. time; from the root also seen in " tide," properly the time of between the flow and ebb of the sea, cf. O. Eng. getidan, to happen, " even-tide," &c.; it is not directly related to Lat. tempus)
• TIME, MEASUREMENT OF
• TIME, STANDARD

time after they have been set in See also:

• MOTION (Lat. motio, from movere, to move)
• MOTION, LAWS OF

motion by means of the strings or wires by which each is.connected to a bell-pull in the rooms . These wires are generally placed out of sight inside the walls, and bell-cranks are employed to take them See also:

• ROUND (O. Fr. rond, Lat. rotundus, the Fr. is the source also of Du. rond; Ger., Swed., Dan. and Nor. rond)

round corners and to change the direction of motion as required . A lightly poised pendulum is often attached to each bell, to show by its motion when it has been See also:

• RUNG

rung . In pneumatic bells the wires are replaced by pipes of narrow See also:

• BORE

bore, and the current of air which is caused to flow along these by the pressing of a push-See also:

• BUTTON (Fr. bouton, O. Fr. boton, apparently from the same root as bouter, to push)

button actuates a small See also:

• HAMMER, FRIEDRICH JULIUS (1810-1862)

hammer which impinges rapidly against a bell or See also:

• GONG (Chinese, gong-gong or tam-tam)

gong . An electric bell consists of a small electro-magnet acting on a soft See also:

• IRON [symbol Fe, atomic weight 55.85 (0=16)]

iron See also:

• ARMATURE (from Lat. armatura, armour)

armature which is supported in such a way that normally it stands away from the magnet . When the latter is energized by the passage of an electric current, the armature is attracted towards it, and a small hammer attached to it strikes a See also:

• BLOW, JOHN (1648-1708)

blow on the bell or gong . This " single stroke " type of bell is largely used in railway signalling See also:

• INSTRUMENTS

instruments .

For domestic purposes, however, the bells are arranged so that the hammer strikes a series of strokes, continuing so long as the push-button which closes the electric See also:

• CIRCUIT (Lat. circuitus, from circum, round, and ire, to go)

circuit is pressed . A See also:

• LIGHT

light See also:

• SPRING (from " to spring," " to leap or jump up," " burst out," O. Eng., springau, a common Teut. word, cf. Ger. springer, possibly allied to Gr. QnrFpxecOac, to move rapidly)

spring is provided against which the armature rests when it is not attracted by the electromagnet, and the current is arranged to pass through this spring and the armature on its way to the magnet . When the armature is attracted by the magnet it breaks contact with this spring, the current is interrupted, and the magnet being no longer energized allows the armature to fall back on the spring and thus restore the circuit . In this way a rapid to and fro motion is imparted to the hammer . The electric current is supplied by a See also:

• BATTERY (Fr. batterie, from battles, to beat)

battery, usually either of Leclanche or of dry cells . One bell will serve for all the rooms of a house, an "See also:

• INDICATOR (from Lat. indicare, to point out)

indicator" being provided to show from which it has been rung . Such indicators are of two See also:

• MAIN (from the Aryan root which appears in " may " and " might," and Lat. magnus, great)
• MAIN (Lat. Moenus)

main types: the current either sets in motion a pendulum, or causes a disk bearing the name or number of the See also:

• ROOM

room concerned to come into view . Each push must have one See also:

• WIRE (A.S. wir, a wire; cf. Swed. vire, to twist, M.H.G. wiere, a gold ornament, Lat. viriae, armlets, ultimately from the root wi, to twist, bind)

wire appropriated to itself leading from the battery through the indicator to the bell, but the return wire from the bell to the battery may be See also:

• COMMON

common to all the pushes . Bells of this See also:

• KIND (O. E. ge-cynde, from the same root as is seen in " kin," supra)

kind cease to See also:

• RING (O.E. hring; a word common to Teutonic languages; and probably cognate with the Lat. circus, Gr. KtpKOS or KpLKOS, Skt'. chakra, wheel, circle, cf. also " harangue "); in art, a band of circular shape of varying sizes, made of any material and used f

ring whenever the See also:

• ELECTRICAL
• ELECTRICAL (or ELECTROSTATIC) MACHINE

electrical continuity of any of these wires is interrupted, but in some cases, as in connexion with burglar-alarms, it is desirable that the bell, once set in action, shall continue to ring even though the wires are cut . For this purpose, in " continuous ringing " bells, the current, (specially viscous) saliva, are entirely unaffected by atropine . A curious parallel to this occurs in its action on the See also:

• EYE
• EYE (O. Eng. edge, Ger. Auge; derived from an Indo-European root also seen in Lat. oc-ulus, the organ of vision (q.v.)

eye . There is much uncertainty as to the See also:

• INFLUENCE (Late Lat. influentia, from influere, to flow in)

influence of atropine on the secretions of the See also:

• STOMACH (Gr. vrbsaxos from arbga, a mouth)

stomach, intestines, See also:

• LIVER (O. Eng. lifer; cf. cognate forms, Dutch lever, Ger. Leber, Swed. lefver, &c.; the O. H. Ger. forms are libara, lipora, &c.; the Teut. word has been connected with Gr. i'prap and Lat. jecur)

liver, See also:

• PANCREAS (Gr. rag, all; 1cpks, flesh)

pancreas and kidneys, and it is not possible to make any definite statement, See also:

• SAVE, or SAVA (Ger. Sau; Hungarian Szdva; Lat. Savus)

save that in all See also:

• PROBABILITY (Lat. probabilis, probable or credible)

probability the activities of the nerves innervating the gland-cells in these See also:

• ORGANS

organs are reduced, though they are certainly not arrested, as in the other cases .

The secretion of mucus by the bronchi and trachea is greatly reduced and their See also:

• MUSCULAR

muscular See also:

• TISSUE (Fr. tissu, tissue, participle of tisser, Lat. texere, to weave)

tissue is paralysed—a fact of which much use is made in See also:

• PRACTICAL

practical medicine . The secretion of See also:

• MILK (0. Eng. meoluc; from a common Indo-European root, cf. Lat. mulgere, Gr. ?t dXyetv)

milk, if occurring in the mammary gland, is much diminished or entirely arrested . Given internally, atropine does not exert any appreciable sedative action upon the nerves of pain . The action of atropine on the motor nerves is equally important . Those that go to the voluntary muscles are depressed only by very large and dangerous doses . The drug appears to have no influence upon the contractile cells that constitute muscle-fibre, any more than it has directly upon the secretory cells that constitute any gland . But moderate doses of atropine markedly paralyse the terminals of the nerves that go to involuntary muscles, whether the action of those nerves be motor or inhibitory . In the See also:

• INTESTINE (Lat. intestinus, internal, usually in neuter plural intestina. from intus, within)

intestine, for instance, are layers of muscle-fibre which are constantly being inhibited or kept under check by the splanchnic nerves . These are paralysed by atropine, and intestinal peristalsis is consequently made more active, the muscles being released from nervous See also:

• CONTROL (Fr. contrdle, older form contre rolle, from Med. Lat. contra-rotulus, a counter roll or copy of a document used to check the original; there is no instance in English of the use of " control " in this, its literal, meaning)

control . The motor nerves of the See also:

• ARTERIES (Gr. ap-rnpia, probably from a"spew, to raise, but popularly connected by the ancients with ai7P, air)

arteries, of the See also:

• BLADDER (from A.S. blaeddre, connected with bl¢wan, to blow, cf. Ger. blase)

bladder and rectal sphincters, and also of the bronchi, are paralysed by atropine, but the nervous arrangements of those organs are highly complex and until they are further unravelled by physiologists, pharmacology will be unable to give much information which might be of great value in the employment of atropine . The action upon the vaso-motor system is, however, fairly clear . Whether effected entirely by action on the nerve terminals, or by an additional influence upon the vaso-motor centre in the medulla oblongata, atropine certainly causes extreme See also:

• DILATATION (from Lat. dis-, distributive, and lotus, wide)

dilatation of the blood-vessels, so much so that the skin becomes flushed and there may appear, after large doses, an erythematous rash, which must be carefully distinguished, in cases of supposed belladonna poisoning, from that of See also:

• SCARLET

scarlet See also:

• FEVER (Lat. febris, connected with fervere, to burn)

fever: more especially as the temperature may be elevated and the See also:

• PULSE

pulse is very rapid in both conditions .

But whilst the characteristic action of atropine is to dilate the blood-vessels, its first action is to stimulate the vaso-motor centre—thereby causing temporary contraction of the vessels—and to increase the rapidity of the See also:

• HEART
• HEART, LUNG

heart's action, so that the blood-pressure rapidly rises . Though transient, this action is so certain, marked and rapid, as to make the subcutaneous injection of atropine invaluable in certain conditions . The See also:

• RESPIRATORY

respiratory centre is similarly stimulated, so that atropine must be regarded as a temporary but efficient respiratory and cardiac stimulant . Toxic doses of atropine—and therefore of belladonna—raise the temperature several degrees . The action is probably nervous, but in the See also:

• PRESENT

present See also:

• STATE
• STATE, GREAT OFFICERS OF

state of our knowledge regarding the control of the temperature by the nervous system, it cannot be further defined . In small therapeutic and in small toxic doses atropine stimulates the motor apparatus of the See also:

• SPINAL

spinal See also:

• CORD (derived through the Fr. corde, from the Lat. chorda, Gr. xop(5rt, the string of a musical instrument)

cord, just as it stimulates the centres in the medulla oblongata . This is indeed, as Sir See also:

• THOMAS
• THOMAS (c. 1654-1720)
• THOMAS (d. 110o)
• THOMAS, ARTHUR GORING (1850-1892)
• THOMAS, CHARLES LOUIS AMBROISE (1811-1896)
• THOMAS, GEORGE (c. 1756-1802)
• THOMAS, GEORGE HENRY (1816-187o)
• THOMAS, ISAIAH (1749-1831)
• THOMAS, PIERRE (1634-1698)
• THOMAS, SIDNEY GILCHRIST (1850-1885)
• THOMAS, ST
• THOMAS, THEODORE (1835-1905)
• THOMAS, WILLIAM (d. 1554)

Thomas See also:

• FRASER
• FRASER, ALEXANDER CAMPBELL (1819– )
• FRASER, JAMES (1818-1885)
• FRASER, JAMES BAILLIE (1783--1856)
• FRASER, SIR WILLIAM AUGUSTUS

Fraser has pointed out, " a See also:

• STRYCHNINE

strychnine action." In large toxic and in lethal doses the activity of the spinal cord is lowered . No less important than any of the above is the action of atropine on the cerebrum . This has long been a debated See also:

• MATTER

matter, but it may now be stated, with considerable certainty, that the higher centres are incoordinately stimulated, a state closely resembling that of See also:

• DELIRIUM (a Latin medical term for madness, from delirare, to be mad, literally to wander from the lira, or furrow)

delirium tremens being induced . In cases of poisoning the delirium may last for many See also:

• HOURS, CANONICAL

hours or even days . Thereafter a more or less sleepy state supervenes, but it is not the case that atropine ever causes genuine See also:

• COMA (Gr. K(.7)

coma . The stuporose See also:

• CONDITION (Lat. condicio, from condicere, to agree upon, arrange; not connected with conditio, from condere, conditum, to put together)

condition is the result of exhaustion after the long See also:

• PERIOD
• PERIOD (Gr. irepioSos, a going or way round, circuit, aepi, round, and &Sis, way, road)

period of cerebral excitement .

It is to be noted that See also:

• CHILDREN, LAW RELATING TO

children, who are particularly susceptible to the influence of certain of the otherpotent alkaloids, such as See also:

• MORPHINE

morphine and strychnine, will take relatively large doses of atropine without See also:

• ILL

ill-effect . The action of atropine on the eye is of high theoretical and practical importance . The drug affects only the involuntary muscles of the eye, just as it affects only the involuntary or non-striated portion of the See also:

• OESOPHAGUS (Gr. o'lvca=I will carry, and r/)ayeiv, to eat)

oesophagus . The result of its instillation into the eye—and the same occurs when the atropine has been absorbed elsewhere—is rapidly to cause wide dilatation of the See also:

• PUPIL (Lat. pupillus, orphan, minor, dim. of pupus, boy, allied to puer, from root pm- or peu-, to beget, cf. "pupa," Lat. for " doll," the name given to the stage intervening between the larval and imaginal stages in certain insects)

pupil . This can be experimentally shown—by the method of exclusion—to be caused by a paralysis of the terminals of the third See also:

• CRANIAL

cranial nerve in the sphincter pupillae of the See also:

• IRIS

iris . The action of atropine in dilating the pupil is also aided by a stimulation of the fibres from the sympathetic nervous system, which innervate the remaining muscle of the iris—the dilator pupillae . As a result of the extreme pupillary dilatation, the tension of the eyeball is greatly raised . The sight of many an eye has been destroyed by the use of atropine—in See also:

• IGNORANCE (Lat. ignorantia, from ignorare, not to know); want of knowledge, a state of mind which in law has important consequences. A well-known legal maxim runs: ignorantia juris non excusat ("ignorance of the law does not excuse")

ignorance of this action on the See also:

• INTRA

intra-ocular tension—in cases of incipient glaucoma . The use of atropine is absolutely contra-indicated in any case where the intra-ocular tension already is, or threatens to become, unduly high . This warning applies notably to those—usually See also:

• WOMEN

women—who are accustomed indiscriminately to use belladonna or atropine in See also:

• ORDER
• ORDER (through Fr. ordre, for earlier ordene, from Lat. ordo, ordinis, rank, service, arrangement; the ultimate source is generally taken to be the root seen in Lat. oriri, rise, arise, begin; cf. " origin ")
• ORDER, HOLY

order to give greater brilliancy to their eyes . The See also:

• FOURTH

fourth ocular result of administering atropine is the See also:

• PRODUCTION (Lat. productionem, from producere, to pro-duce)

production of a slight but definite degree of local See also:

• ANAESTHESIA

anaesthesia of the eyeball . It follows from the above that a patient who is definitely under the influence of atropine will display rapid pulse, dilated pupils, a dry skin and a sense of discomfort, due to dryness of the mouth and throat .

See also:

• THERAPEUTICS (Gr. BepaaeuTLKIi, Sc. TEXVrt, from Beparebsty, to serve)

Therapeutics.—The See also:

• EXTERNAL

external uses of the drug are mainly analgesic . The liniment or See also:

• PLASTER

plaster of belladonna will relieve many forms of local pain . Generally speaking, it may he laid down that atropine is more likely than.See also:

• IODINE (symbol I, atomic weight '26.92)

iodine to relieve a pain of quite superficial origin; and conversely . Totally to be reprobated is the use, in order to relieve pain, of belladonna or any other application which affects the skin, in cases where the surgeon may later be required to operate . In such cases, it is necessary to use such anodyne See also:

• MEASURES

measures as will not interfere with the subsequent demands that may be made of the skin, i.e. that it be aseptic and in a condition so sound that it is able to undertake the See also:

• PROCESS

process of healing itself after the operation has been performed . Atropine is universally and constantly used in ophthalmic practice in order to dilate the pupil for examination of the retina by the ophthalmoscope, or in cases where the inflamed iris threatens to See also:

• FORM (Lat. forma)

form adhesions to neighbouring parts . The drug is often replaced in See also:

• OPHTHALMOLOGY (Gr. 6 Oakµbs, eye)

ophthalmology by homatropine—an . alkaloid prepared from tropine—which acts similarly to atropine but has the See also:

• ADVANTAGE

advantage of allowing the ocular changes to pass away in a much shorter time . The anhidrotic action of atropine is largely employed in controlling the See also:

• NIGHT

night-sweats so characteristic of pulmonary See also:

• TUBERCULOSIS

tuberculosis, small doses of the solution of the sulphate being given at night . The uses of atropine in cardiac affections are still obscure and dubious . It can only be laid down that the drug is a valuable though temporary stimulant in emergencies, and that its use as a plaster or internally often relieves cardiac pain . Recollection of the extraordinary complexity of the problems which are involved in the whole question of pain of cardiac origin will emphasize the extreme vagueness of the above assertion . See also:

• PROFESSOR (the Latin noun formed from the verb profiteri, to declare publicly, to acknowledge, profess)

Professor Schafer recommended the use of atropine prior to the See also:

• ADMINISTRATION (Lat. administrare, to serve)

administration of a general anaesthetic, in cases where the action of the vagus nerve upon the heart is to be dreaded; and there is little doubt of the value of this precaution, which has no attendant disadvantages, in all such cases .

Atropine is often of value as an antidote, as in poisoning by See also:

• PILOCARPINE

pilocarpine, muscarine (See also:

• MUSHROOM

mushroom poisoning), prussic acid, &c . Omitting numerous See also:

• MINOR
• MINOR (Lat. for smaller, lesser)
• MINOR, ROBERT CRANNELL (1839-1904)

minor applications of this drug, we may pass to two therapeutic uses which are of unquestionable utility . In cases of whooping-cough or any other condition in which there is spasmodic action of the muscular fibre in the bronchi—a See also:

• DEFINITION (Lat. definitio, from de-finire, to set limits to, describe)

definition which includes nearly every form of See also:

• ASTHMA (Gr. avBµa, gasping, whence lio-Ogaivw, I gasp for breath)

asthma and many cases of See also:

• BRONCHITIS

bronchitis-atropine is an almost invaluable drug . Not only does it relieve the spasm, but it lessens the amount of secretion—often dangerously excessive—which is often associated with it . The See also:

• RELIEF

relief of symptoms in whooping-cough is sharply to be distinguished from any influence on the course of the disease, since the drug does not abbreviate its duration by a single See also:

• DAY (O. Eng. dreg, Ger. Tag; according to the New English Dictionary, " in no way related to the Lat. dies")
• DAY, JOHN (1574-1640?)
• DAY, THOMAS (1748-1789)

day . In treating an actual and present attack of asthma, it is advisable to give the standardized See also:

• TINCTURE (Fr. teinture, Lat. tinctura, tingere, to dye, stain)

tincture of belladonna—unless expense is no See also:

• CONSIDERATION (from Lat. considerare, to look at closely, examine, generally taken to be from con-, and the base seen in sidus, sideris, a star, the word being supposed to be originally an astrological or astronomical term)

consideration, in which case atropine may itself be used—in doses of twenty minims every See also:

• QUARTER (through Fr. from Lat. quartarius, fourth part)

quarter of an See also:

• HOUR

hour as long as no evil effects appear . Relief is thereby constantly obtained . Smaller doses of the drug should be given three times a day between the attacks . The nocturnal enuresis or urinary incontinence of children and of adults is frequently relieved by this drug . The excellent See also:

• TOLERATION (from Lat. tolerare, to endure)

toleration of atropine displayed by children must be remembered, and if its use is " pushed " a cure may almost always be expected . See also:

• TOXICOLOGY

Toxicology.—The symptoms of poisoning by belladonna or atropine are dealt with above . The essential point here to be added is that See also:

• DEATH

death takes See also:

• PLACE (through Fr. from Lat. platea, street; Gr. IrAar6s, wide)

place from combined cardiac and respiratory failure .

This fact is, of course, the See also:

• KEY
• KEY (in O. Eng. tang; the ultimate origin of the word is unknown; it appears only in Old Frisian kei of other Teutonic languages; until the end of the 17th century the pronunciation was kay, as in other words in O. Eng. ending in aeg; cf. daeg, day; clang
• KEY (the phraseograms being indicated by hyphens)
• KEY, SIR ASTLEY COOPER (1821-1888)
• KEY, THOMAS HEWITT (1799-1875)

key to treatment . This consists in the use of See also:

• EMETICS (from Gr. inerucos, causing vomit)

emetics or the stomach-See also:

• PUMP

pump, with See also:

• LIME
• LIME (O. Eng. lim, Lat. limes, mud, from linere, to smear)

lime-water, which decomposes the alkaloid . These measures are, however, usually rendered nugatory by the very rapid absorption of the alkaloid . Death is to be averted by such measures as will keep the heart and lungs in action until the drug has been excreted by the kidneys . Inject stimulants subcutaneously; give See also:

• COFFEE (Fr: cafe, Ger. Kaffee)

coffee—hot and strong—by the mouth and rectum, or use large doses of See also:

• CAFFEINE, or THEINE (1.3.7 trimethyl 2 . 6 dioxypurin)

caffeine citrate; and employ artificial respiration . Do not employ such physiological antagonists as pilocarpine or morphine, for the lethal actions of all these drugs exhibit not mutual antagonism but coincidence .