Treatment of Eclampsia with Magnesium Sulphate

Backerganj circulated a pamphlet suggesting magnesium sulphate injections for the treatment of eclampsia. Roy (1941) treated some cases with intravenous injection of 15 c.cm. of 10 per cent solution of magnesium sulphate, along with StroganofFs treatment, intravenous glucose, etc. I have treated 15 cases of which only two died. In all these I injected 5 c.cm. of 25 per cent solution of magnesium sulphate intramuscularly, followed by an injection of morphine \ grain and atropine tt<t grain. The fits and convulsions stopped after these two injections, and the patient fell into a deep sleep. In 9 cases there was no recrudescence of the symptoms; in 4 they reappeared after 3 hours and were stopped by another injection of 5 c.cm. of magnesium sulphate solution. All the cases were ante-partum and a dead child was delivered in each case 8 to 10 hours after the commencement of treatment. The two fatal cases