In 1907, Ohio-based pharmaceutical company Lloyd Brothers, Inc. sponsored a medical textbook/catalogue, Dose Book of Specific Medicines, to market their extensive product line to physicians. The 255-page tome features entries for both “Cannabis” and “American Hemp (Cannabis Sativa)”. Both are hailed as remedies for many conditions; among other things, the former is indicated for “cancer of the stomach.”
Cannabis
Specific Cannabis is an agent to control pain and secure rest, and for these purposes may be selected when opium would be objectionable. Unlike the latter, it causes no loss of appetite nor arrest of secretion, and the skin retains its normal condition under its use. It is useful in spasmodic disorders with pain, and is of special service in painful gastric affections, as gastralgia, gastric neuralgia, gastric ulcer, and cancer of the stomach. Cannabis is a favorite agent to control irritable conditions of the bladder and urethra, and is particularly useful, with aconite and gelsemium, to control inflammation and pain incident to gonorrhoea, and to prevent spasmodic action liable to terminate in chordee. Cannabis meets the following conditions:
Marked nervous depression; irritation of the urinary tract with burning painful micturition and tenesmus, ardor urinae and scalding sensations upon urination, low mental conditions with insomnia, or brief sleep with unpleasant dreams, mental illusions, pain and spasm, and menstrual headache. Pronounced nervous depression with irritability, is the guide to its selection.
American Hemp (Cannabis Sativa)
American hemp is considered anodyne, hypnotic, anti-spasmodic, producing sleep even when opium and morphine fail. Specifically selected, it is efficient in delirium tremens, wakefulness in fevers, neuralgia, gout, rheumatism, infantile convulsions, low mental conditions, insanity, etc., and in inflammatory conditions. In cases where opium disagrees, it is often preferable to opium.
Great nervous depression; irritation of the genito-urinary tract; painful micturition, with tenesmus; ardor urinae, scalding burning, frequent micturition; low mental conditions; wakefulness; with unpleasant dreams during momentary sleep; spasmodic and painful conditions, with nervous depression; mental illusions; menstrual headache; palpitation of the heart, with sharp stitching pains in the heart, hallucinations; cerebral anemia from spasm of cerebral vessels.
* Those bearing the caution “Poisonous in overdoses” must be used with care. If a heroic dose must be given, let it be of a harmless drug.