Sedatives

Sedatives are substances or measures which exert a depressing effect on any part of the body. They are called pulmonary, nervous, gastric, cardiac, &c. sedatives according to the special part of the organism on which they exert their effects. They are employed to relieve pain, and to relieve over-activity and hyper-excitability of any organ or system. They embrace a very large number of commonly used medicines.