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Show INDIAN POISON Curare Saves Many Lives NEW YORK, N.Y. When Europeans Euro-peans first came to the continent of South America they found the Indians Indi-ans In the jungles of the Amazon using a black, pungent sirup on their arrow tips. Explorers brought back tales of the poisoned arrows, so lethal that a mere scratch was said to bring certain death. Now, thanks to a recent discovery based upon the Indian jungle brew, science has a new and wonderful drug curare. Until recent years, one of the great hazards of surgery was the frequent ill effect of anesthesia. The administration of deep anesthesia often caused postoperative complications, compli-cations, nausea, shock, depression, heart strain. Surgeons thus have always al-ways preferred to avoid deep anesthesia. anes-thesia. It Relaxes Muscles Unfortunately, it was necessary for one simple reason: Although unconscious un-conscious under lighter anesthesia, the patient remained rigid so tense that, for example, surgeons could scarcely pass the barrier of rigid muscles in the abdominal cavity until deep anesthesia had relaxed those muscles. Now, thanks to curare, deep anesthesia anes-thesia Is far less frequently necessary. neces-sary. Today, curare, used In conjunction conjunc-tion with cyclopropane, ether or other anesthetics is found in operating op-erating rooms around the world. Injected In-jected immediately after the patient pa-tient loses consciousness, a proper dosage of curare completely relaxes re-laxes muscles except those controlling control-ling respiration and heart action. The patient sleeps peacefully but lightly while his relaxed body permits per-mits the surgeon to make an incision inci-sion of minimum size and manipulate manip-ulate muscles without resistance. In its crude form curare had been used by South American Indians Indi-ans on their blowgun darts to kill small animals and birds. It simply relaxed their breathing muscles to the point where the creatures suffocated. suf-focated. Explorers Find Drug The first explorers of South America Amer-ica made the acquaintance of the drug in a somewhat disagreeable manner. They were exposed to its ! effects on the tips of darts and ar- rows aimed at them by inhospitable Indians. However, the explorers were fascinated by what they saw of the substance and took considerable considera-ble pains to find out about it. Sir Walter Raleigh is credited with bringing to Europe the first specimen of curare in 1595. The substance aroused considerable interest in-terest among the contemporary men of science, but they had little of it and they were unable to learn much either as to its composition or its action. Chief use of curare today Is as an aid in surgery, but it is proving useful in a growing number of other oth-er fields. In general, it may be said that curare is useful, in any situation situa-tion where relaxed muscles are desired. de-sired. Many doctors find curare of use in the management of polio. Curare does not cure polio, or fight the virus which causes It. But during early stages of the disease, while the body itself is building resistance, permanent crippling can often be prevented by physical therapy. Curare may be used to relax re-lax the spasm in the affected muscles mus-cles and thus to make possible their manipulation without causing unbearable un-bearable pain. |