'HEADACHE POWDERS.'

Auckland Star, Volume XXIX, Issue 184, 6 August 1898, Page 3 (Supplement)

'HEADACHE POWDERS.'

An inquest was held recently on the body of a young man who died from the effects of taking two 'headache powders.' From the analysis of the contents of the stomach, it appears that the powders in question were composed of antifebrin, but the exact quantity administered was not ascertained. Antifebrin,' like most aniline derivatives, is a drug (says the 'British Medical Journal') which should be employed with especial caution. It is official under the name of acetanilide, and its potency is sufficiently indicated by the fact that the maximum dose assigned to it is only three grains. There have been many cases of. poisoning from the injudicious administration of this remedy, the symptoms produced by it being of the aniline type. The patient usually complains of giddiness, noises in the ears, throbbing in the temples, and a dull, heavy pain in the head. The face becomes livid, the lips are blue, and the pupils are, contracted. This is followed by

SYMPTOMS OF COLLAPSE, the face and extremities are cyanosed, the skin is covered with cold, clammy perspiration, the pulse is feeble, and respiration becomes shallow and frequent. There is no specific antidote, and after the administration of a brisk emetic the sufferer should be kept in a. strictly recumbent position, and plied vigorously with stimulants. The effects are usually of considerable duration,and in one case the patient was not out of danger for 14 hours. We are informed that there is a considerable demand for powders of this description, the purchasers being chiefly young women o.f tie sempstress class. Whether the sale should be in some way restricted may be an open question, but it is quite clear that some intimation- should be given that they are not free from danger, and that they cannot be taken in unlimited quantities with' impunity. Many people acquire an unfortunate habit of dosing themselves with remedies of unknown composition,' and this death in such sad circumstances may be taken as an indication that the custom is not one which can beindulged in with safety.