Shaking out into the tumbler a few crystals of potassium permanganate, I filled it up with water and approached the patient.

His stupor was profound.

I shook him as roughly as was safe in his depressed condition, but elicited no resistance or responsive movement.

As it seemed very doubtful whether he was capable of swallowing, I dared not take the risk of pouring the liquid into his mouth for fear of suffocating him.

A stomach-tube would have solved the difficulty, but, of course, I had not one with me.