Talk:Curare
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[edit] Removed section
The article used to contain the following:
- Doctors decided to use curare as an anaesthetic for infants. It was completely successful. It had low mortality and few side effects. It went into widespread use. One day a doctor decided to test curare on himself for an operation since it was so successful with infants. He felt every twitch of the surgeon's knife exquisitely, but could not move or shout out his pain. He could not so much as blink his eyes. Curare was not an anaesthetic after all, just a muscle paralyser. Only then was the use of curare as an anaesthetic for infants dropped.
This sounds like a shivery legend that was invented; I have found no references for it. Feel free to add it back if some references (and, for example, the name of the doctor) are found.
Correct me if I'm wrong, but doesn't curare come from dart frogs (Dendrobatidae)?
- Actually, batrachotoxin is the toxic chemical compound from poison dart frogs. --Ed (Edgar181) 21:15, 21 March 2006 (UTC)
[edit] Curare as a KGB weapon?
I have heard that the KGB employed curare as a toxic agent in much the same way they used ricin. I've read this from numerous sources but unfortunately it was long ago and I am currently unable to cite the sources. Does anyone know anything about this? --Madelle 12:51, 11 April 2006 (UTC)
[edit] The origin of the word curare
One of the recent additions says that: "Curo, curare, curavi, curatus" is a first conjugation verb in Latin that means "to take care of" or "look after". The English word "care" comes from it.
However, from what I read, the word comes from the native name that was used by the Indians. Even the entry for tubocurarine mentiones it, "ourare". It seems to me that the similarity with the Latin verb is only coincidental (after all, curare was not used to cure or take care of. What do you think? Janek78 05:10, 23 May 2006 (UTC)
Not that i disagree with your analysis, Janek, but curare(-like) agents have been and in some places still are used as treatment in situations where uncontrolled muscle spasms are likely to harm patients, such as with tetanus, [black widow]] spider envenomations &c.Tuckerekcut 02:07, 21 June 2006 (UTC)
But I know, notice the past tense, I was referring to the original use. As far as I know the name comes from the natives (therefore latin is a very unlikely source) and even if they spoke latin, I am not sure they used it therapeutically (although they might have). Anyone has a better knowledge of curare history? Janek78 15:56, 21 June 2006 (UTC)
[edit] Curare and its usage in relief of pain in Rhumatic Arthritis
I am interested in knowing if these plants ( curare... strychnos toxifera ) or its derivatives are used for getting relief from joint pains arising out of Rhumatic arthritis either for intake or external application by way of balm or liniment (oil)....pl give relevant info to email id paraskar_business@yahoo.com
[edit] (Non)Toxicity upon oral intake and different sorts of curare
I think that it should be emphasized, that curare (or its active components) are active (toxic, paralytic, muscle relaxing) only upon parenteral application (that is, either an injection or a wound contamination via poisoned arrow-tip). Its quite important for more reasons: first, curares have/are beeing used not only as a combat weapon poison, but also (and mainly) as prey hunting poison. The natives in Orinoco area are using blowdarts poisoned with curare to paralyze animals whose flesh is eaten by them thereafter. Logically, it is absolutely necessary that the poison is highly effective upon direct introduction in the blood stream, but innoxious when (flesh poisoned by it) is eaten. Secondly, I encountered many times the misinformation (also in Wikipedia), that curare is reffered to as a sort of "ultimative poison", beeing prone to all kinds of poisoning (i.e. oral intoxication). Apart this, there is no mention in the article, that actually three main sorts of curare were/are beeing used by the native tribes in South America: tubocurare (main active ingredient beeing (+)-tubocurarine), calebas curare (main active toxins alloferine and toxiferine) and pot curare (main toxins beeing protocurarine, protocurine, and protocuridine). I edit the article.--84.163.86.13 01:51, 10 October 2006 (UTC)
[edit] Antidote
Out of shear curiosity... is there an antidote to curare? If so, is it worth adding? —The preceding unsigned comment was added by Theshowmecanuck (talk • contribs) 09:12, 12 December 2006 (UTC).
