Fourteenth annual reports for 1872 / Sussex County Lunatic Asylum, Haywards Heath.

  • Sussex County Lunatic Asylum (Haywards Heath, England)
Date:
1873
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Fourteenth annual reports for 1872 / Sussex County Lunatic Asylum, Haywards Heath. Source: Wellcome Collection.

    95/140 (page 45)
    Cannabis Indica in the Treatment of Migraine. Although the symptoms of Migraine have been described with a clearness which forces us to believe that the writers must often have been themselves the sufferers, its treat¬ ment remains in a most unsatisfactory condition. The most opposite remedies have been tried and found useless, and at last the unhappy patient gives up all treatment in disgust, regarding himself as the martyr to a disease which time may enable him to outlive, but over which medicine possesses no control. Every physician has had strong evidence that this is too often true. Arsenic, quinine, and other tonics and anti-periodics, together with subcutaneous morphia and alcoholic stimu¬ lants, seem to have the common property of being perfectly valueless as regards a permanent cure, seldom giving even temporary relief, and that in a limited number of cases only. Some years ago we were induced to make a trial of the Indian Hemp, and have since used it frequently, and have nearly always seen it productive of more or less benefit to the patient. The following six are the only cases of which we possess notes. They are consecutive, and have been attended within the last two years. Two only are patients in this Asylum—convalescent as regards their mental affection—while the others are officials connected with the Institution. To guard against optimism—that common fault of medical writers, and source of our scepticism—we have detailed these cases as nearly as possible in the patients’ own words. Case 1. Male. Had suffered from sick-headaches for about four years. At first the intervals of the attacks averaged at least fourteen days, but soon they were reduced to eight or nine, and latterly four or five days never passed without a seizure. The Indian Hemp was taken, though not as regularly as we wished, for eight weeks, and during that time the patient had but two attacks, and these were reduced both in length and intensity. It is now nearly three months since the use of the drug was discontinued, and in that time there have been two “ very slight” attacks, and one rather severe, but of short duration. %