A Family Doctor's Tale - INSECTICIDE POISONING

INSECTICIDE POISONING

While the rich or middle class try to kill themselves with barbiturates, on the other spectrum the very poor has only insecticide to try to kill themselves by poisoning. 

Insecticide usually contains organophosphate which can not only damage your mouth, stomach and intestine by their corrosive chemical reactions and results in symptoms of severe abdominal pain and vomiting. 

It can be rapidly absorbed into your blood to damage the brain and nerve endings causing 
1.miosis of the eyes(small pupils), 
2.convulsions (fits), 
3.paralysis of the respiratory muscles with difficulty in breathing, 
4.paralysis of the heart muscles, 
5.damage to the brain and coma and 
6.death.

It can be a very painful death unless treated early and quickly.

Usually a intravenous drip is setup and atropine given to hopefully counter the effects of the insecticide chemicals. 

A nasogastric tube is also inserted and suction of the fluids and liquids(gastric lavage) is done with the hope of removing some of the insecticide.

The chances of recovery depends on the amount of  organophosphate insecticide ingested but are generally poor.

Recovery is good if the patient made good progress during the first 4 to 6 hours with improvement of breathing and heart rate. 

More often than not the patient usually succumbs to the insecticide poisoning within 12 hours.

Those who recovered may have badly scarred gullet and stomach with difficulty in swallowing and permanent stomach damage later on.

Even in the 1970s evidence of the gap between the rich and poor can be showed in the way they tried to kill themselves by poisons. Cheap poisons like insecticides are dangerous and result in a very painful death while 'rich' poisons like barbiturates can kill the patient by making him or her sleep to a painless death.