Abstract
IN his presidential address before the Society of Public Analysts delivered on March 4, Dr. G. Roche Lynch discussed “The Toxicology of the Narcotic Drugs”, embodying observations regarding the barbiturates, thio-barbiturates, straight-chain ureides and morphine, based on his own record of cases. He pointed out that the barbiturates, of which seventeen are now on the market, can be divided into two main groups, one of which produces light narcosis of long duration and the other deep narcosis of shorter duration. The individual barbiturates differ greatly in the rate at which they are destroyed in the body ; some are destroyed so rapidly that it is rarely possible to recover more than minute quantities of them from urine or tissues. The extent of their use is illustrated by the fact that 18 million tablets of one of them, and that not the most common, are produced annually. The habit of taking them at night regularly is widespread, especially among women ; but in keeping them within reach as a means of inducing sleep there is a danger that, after one or two tablets have been taken, a state of 'automatism' might supervene, in which a person, more or less unconsciously, might take a further number, with serious results. For purposes of treatment, the analyst should be able, by examination of urine, to ascertain within a quarter of an hour whether or not a barbiturate had been taken ; but for purposes of evidence in court a complete identification with melting point determination is desirable.
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Toxicology of Narcotic Drugs. Nature 141, 506 (1938). https://doi.org/10.1038/141506a0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/141506a0