THE USE AND ABUSE OF MORPHIN AFTER ABDOMINAL SECTION.

There seems to be a wide divergence of opinion among English and American surgeons as to the benefits of the administration of morphin and other preparations of opium after an abdominal section, if we take the expressions found in medical journals as a guide to the views and customs of operators. The questions we propose to briefly discuss in this paper are: What are the indications for and benefits derived from the use of morphin after abdominal section? What are the harmful influences of this drug when improperly used?

Unquestionably, pain is considered the chief indication for its use after an abdominal section. It is here, however, that the great divergence of opinion regarding the advisability of its administration is manifest. The early operators almost invariably administered a large dose of opium as soon as the patient was placed in bed or had recovered from the effects of the anesthetic.