Ephedrine and Picrotoxin Used Successfully in Amytal Poisoning

A girl, aged 3¾ years, at about 11:30 a. m., seemed excited and fretful, threw herself about and talked incessantly with a thick enunciation. She fell down again and again in attempting to walk. Her eyes wandered and were apparently unable to fix on any object. Soon she became drowsy and was unable to stand, owing apparently to weakness in the lower extremities. At 11:50, an open box which had previously contained several (probably not more than four) 1½2 grain (0.1 Gm.) tablets of amytal (isoamylethylbarbituric acid) was found in the room in which she had been playing. The child was promptly given two teaspoonfuls of syrup of ipecac, which produced vomiting at 12:20 p. m., the vomitus being saved and later giving a positive reaction for the barbital derivatives. I saw her at 1:20, at which time she showed flushing of the face and unconsciousness, vigorous shaking