Authored by: Eman Sardar
5th grade
Faculty of Pharmacy – TIU – Erbil
Herbert Asbury was an American Journalist and writer best known for his books detailing crime during the 19th and early 20th Centuries. The first popular account of Mickey Finn was given by Herbert Asbury Before his days as a Saloon Proprietor, Mickey Finn was known as a Pickpocket and Thief who often preyed on drunken bar patrons. The act of serving a Mickey Finn Special was a coordinated robbery orchestrated by Finn. First, Finn or one of his employees (including “house girls”) would slip chloral hydrate into the unsuspecting patron’s drink. The incapacitated patron would be escorted or carried into a back room by one of Finn’s associates, who would then rob him and dump him in an alley. The victim would wake up the next morning in a nearby alley and would remember little or nothing of what had happened. Finn’s Saloon was ordered to be closed on December 16, 1903. He was apparently arrested again in 1918, this time for running an illegal bar. While the restaurant was shut down in 1903, more than 100 waiters were arrested 15 years later for slipping “Mickey Finn Powder” into people’s drinks.
Chemical analysis showed that it contained Chloral Hydrate. Chloral Hydrate is a synthetic Monohydrate of chloral with sedative, hypnotic, and anticonvulsive properties. It is highly lipid soluble, metabolized by Hepatic Alcohol Dehydrogenase Enzyme is converted to the active compound Trichloroethane. The agent interacts with various neurotransmitter-operated ion channels, thereby enhancing gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA)-A receptor-mediated chloride currents and inhibiting amino acid receptor-activated ion currents. Overall, this results in a depressive effect on the central nervous system. Note that chloral hydrate is more
rapidly absorbed with food especially with alcoholic drinks and juices. Its physical appearance is white and crystalline, with a pungent pear-like odor and bitter taste. Chloral hydrate is used primarily for sedation for radiological and dental procedures.
- Plasma half-life is 4 to 12 hours.
- Toxicity is rapid onset (<30 min) with CNS depression and cardiac dysrhythmias.
- Toxic dose 2mg.
- Usual fatal dose is 7-10mg.
- Doses higher than the above are associated with coma and cardiac dysrhythmias. Signs and Symptoms appear as an odor in the breath, Cardiac arrhythmia, Vomiting, abdominal pain, and hepatorenal damage. Since chloral hydrate is radio-opaque, X-Ray can help in diagnosing massive ingestions.
- Acute overdose >10 g can cause gastric hemorrhage, perforation, and strictures
- CNS depression: drowsiness and ataxia progressing rapidly to coma, Respiratory depression, Hypotension, Hypothermia, and GI corrosive injury.
There is no reversal agent for Chloral Hydrate, and its use is contraindicated in patients with cardiac, hepatic, and renal disease as well as those with porphyria. In addition, its sedative effects can be difficult to predict. In the past, this agent was frequently used in unmonitored settings. There is no specific antidote for chloral hydrate, but there has been a case report of reversal with flumazenil. There’s a reason people tell you not to leave your drink unattended. If you’re drinking in a public place, a party, or anywhere with people you don’t know, it’s wise to keep your drink in sight!