Schulze ranks, among ancient mistakes, the assertion of Galen, that narcotic substances may, in some instances, become digested and prove nutritive. But Dr. Christison says, that both vegetable and animal poisons may become digested, of which he gives an interesting example with regard to opium (On Poisons, p. 52.) SECT. XLII.—ON THE JUICE OF THE POPPY. When one has drunk of the juice of the poppy drowsiness comes on, with coldness and intense itching, so that often when the medicine takes effect such an itching comes on that the person is roused from sleep thereby. The smell of the medicine too is emitted from the whole body. The remedies in such cases, after rejecting the substance taken by vomiting with oil, and evacuating downwards by a stimulant clyster, are oxymel drank with salts, or honey with warm rose-oil, and much undiluted wine with wormwood and cinnamon, and warm vinegar by itself, and natron with water, and marjoram with lye, the seed of rue and pepper given with castor, and oxymel, savory, or the decoction of marjoram with wine. We must also rouse by aromatics, put the person into a hot bath, and foment on account of the pruritus which supervenes; and after the bath we may use fat broths, with wine or must. Marrow also drunk with oil is useful. * * * * * COMMENTARY. According to Nicander, the symptoms of poisoning by poppy-juice are coldness of the extremities, eyes fixed, heaviness of the eyelids, profuse and fetid perspiration, paleness, swelling of the lip, relaxation of the under jaw, slow respiration, cold breath, and the usual precursors of dissolution, namely, distortion of the nostrils, lividity of the nails, and hollow eyes. His remedies are emetics, such as the oil of iris or of roses, wine and honey; hot drink and rousing the patient by cries, striking his body in different places, and wrapping it in cloths smeared with oil and hot wine, and the hot bath as a restorative. The symptoms mentioned by Dioscorides are lethargy, violent pruritus, and the perspiration smelling of opium. His remedies are the same as those of our author, namely, emetics at first, then clysters, and afterwards wine and vinegar, with various stimulant and strong-scented things; such as pepper, cinnamon, castor, marjoram, &c. The patient is to be roused as directed by Nicander; and baths and fomentations are to be used to relieve the pruritus. Galen relates the case of a person reduced to the last stage of coldness, whom he saved by administering freely a strong, light-coloured, and fragrant wine. Yet, he remarks correctly, a small quantity of weak wine operates unfavorably by promoting the distribution of the poison over the system. He, in particular, recommends vomiting at first with wine and oil, and afterwards strong clysters.