SE A- SICKNE S S.
[To THE EDITOR 07 THE " SPECTATOR."] Sra,—Mr. Williams will, I feel sure, pardon me if I point to an inaccuracy in his letter on the above subject in your issue of August 29th. I believe I was the first surgeon in the Peninsular and Oriental Steam Navigation Company's service who used nitrite of amyl in sea-sickness. It was not supplied to the medical officers for that purpose ; but I always found the com- pany very liberal in the supply of drugs, and each surgeon in my time was allowed whatever he liked to order,—of course,. within certain limits. I invariably carried a supply of nitrite of amyl, and used it with the greatest success. In most cases it acted like a charm, and in those cases which were not cured at once it relieved the worst symptoms, and perhaps after a second or third dose the patient became perfectly well. I gave from two to five drops to be inhaled, and always administered it myself ; I consider it ought never to be given but by a medical man, as if too large a dose be inhaled, it would cause a. dangerous depression of the heart.—I am, Sir, Sm., [Is not nitrite of amyl rather too formidable a drug to use for sea-sickness, except of the most serious kind P—
Spectator.]
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