Page:Treatise on poisons in relation to medical jurisprudence, physiology, and the practice of physic (IA treatiseonpoison00chriuoft).pdf/449

 elbows to the fingers. The dragging of the emaciated muscles by the weight of the dangling hands certainly seems to retard recovery.—Strychnia has also been repeatedly found of service in restoring muscular action. Tanquerel states that electricity and strychnia, but especially the latter, have appeared to him by far the most efficacious remedies both for muscular paralysis and for amaurosis.—In the head affections the best treatment consists in relying on nature and merely combating symptoms; and blood-letting is of no use, however much it may seem to be indicated by the coma and convulsions.

When a person has been once attacked with colica pictonum, he is more easily attacked again. Hence if he is young enough, he should, if possible, change his profession for one in which he is not brought into proximity with lead. Few, however, have it in their power to do so. The prophylaxis, therefore, or mode of preventing the influence of the poison, becomes a subject of great importance; and more particularly when we consider the vast number of workmen in different trades, whose safety it is intended to secure.

On this subject many useful instructions are laid down in the work of Mérat. He very properly sets out with insisting on the utmost regard being paid to cleanliness,—a point too much neglected by most artizans, and particularly by those to whom it is most necessary, the artizans who work with the metals. In proof of the importance of this rule, he observes he knew a potter, who contracted the lead colic early in life when he was accustomed to go about very dirty, but for thirty years after had not any return of it, in consequence simply of a scrupulous attention to cleanliness. In order to secure due cleanliness three points should be attended to. In the first place, the face and hands should be washed once a day at least, the mouth well rinsed, and the hair occasionally combed. Secondly, frequent bathing is of great consequence, both with a view to cleanliness and as a general tonic; so that masters should provide their workmen with sufficient means and opportunities for practising it. Lastly, the working clothes should be made, not of woollen, but of strong, compact linen, should be changed and washed at least once and still better twice a week, and should be worn as little as possible out of the workshop. While at work a cap of some light impervious material should always be worn.

Next to cleanliness, the most important article of the prophylaxis relates to the means for preventing the food being impregnated with lead. For this end it is essential that the workmen never take their meals in the workshop, and that before eating they wash their lips and hands with soap and water, and brush out all particles of dirt from the nails. It is also of moment that they breakfast before going to work in the morning.

Derangements of the digestive organs should be watched with great care. If they appear to arise from the poison of lead, the individual should leave off work with the very first symptom, and take a laxative. Habitual constipation should be provided against.

The nature of the diet of the workmen is of some consequence. It