Page:Treatise on poisons in relation to medical jurisprudence, physiology, and the practice of physic (IA treatiseonpoison00chriuoft).pdf/560

 7. Lord Mar after using laudanum for thirty years, at times to the amount of two or three ounces daily, died at the age of fifty-seven of jaundice and dropsy; but he was a martyr to rheumatism, and besides lived rather freely. 8. A woman, who had been in the practice of taking about two ounees of laudanum daily for very many years, died at the age of sixty or upwards. 9. An eminent literary character, who died about the age of sixty-three, was in the practice of drinking laudanum to excess from the age of fifteen; and his daily allowance was sometimes a quart of a mixture consisting of three parts of laudanum and one of alcohol. 10. A lady, who died lately at the age of seventy-six, took laudanum in the quantity of half an ounce daily for nearly forty years. 11. An old woman died not long ago at Leith at the age of eighty, who had taken about half an ounce of laudanum daily for nearly forty years, and enjoyed tolerable health all the time. 12. Visrajee, a celebrated Cutchee chief, mentioned by Dr. Burnes, had taken opium largely all his life, and was alive when Dr. Burnes drew up his Narrative, at the age of eighty, "paralyzed by years, but his mind unimpaired."

For the particulars of the remaining cases I am indebted to Dr. Tait, surgeon of police in this city. 13. M. C., a ruddy, healthy-looking woman, sixty years of age, has taken laudanum for twenty-five years to the extent of half an ounce daily in a single dose. 14. M. H., a flabby, dissipated-looking woman of thirty-six, has taken for ten years thirty grains of opium daily in three doses. 15. M. T., a widow, forty-eight years of age, who takes twice daily a dose of one fluidrachm of laudanum, and has done so for fourteen years, cannot observe any permanent injury except diminution of appetite. 16. Mrs. G., aged twenty-four, has taken a single dose of sixty drops regularly at bed-time for five years, and has not suffered in health in any respect, except that she is costive. 17. F. S., a thin, sallow woman of forty-six years of age, has taken a fluidrachm of laudanum three times a day for ten years, cannot take food without it, but is so well as to be able to get up regularly at six in the morning. 18. H. S., a shrivelled old-looking woman, who for thirty-eight years had taken daily towards a drachm of opium in one dose, and who latterly was strong, lively, and of good appetite, died recently at the age of sixty-nine. 19. Mrs. S., who has taken about a scruple of opium for twenty-one years, is a tall, active, old-looking woman of fifty-seven, enjoys good health when she uses the opium, but suffers from an affection like delirium tremens, when she cannot get her usual quantity. 20. M. A., aged thirty-one, has taken half a drachm of opium daily in two doses for ten years, was a thin, drunken, starved-looking prostitute some years ago, but, having reformed her ways, is now "a fine-looking, bouncing woman," younger in appearance than formerly, and not liable to any suffering either before or after her doses, except that she cannot take food without them. 21. Miss M., who has taken ten grains of opium three times a day for five years, is a healthy, florid young woman of twenty-seven, liable to costive-*