34
MATERIA MEDICA
which may, for the sake of convenience, be called the compound decoction
of V. odorata. This decoction is very useful in relieving the febrile
excitement and other symptoms of pyrexia in obstinate and long-stand-
ing cases of continued, remittent, typhoid and typhus fevers. I have
cured by this decoction two very obstinate and long-standing cases of
typhoid fever, after the failure of all the European medicines generally
in use. In one of them, the patient, a Hindu male about 35 years old,
was suffering from the disease for more than 25 days before he came
under my treatment, and then was getting worse gradually with a
temperature permanently between 104°
and 105° in the evening for
about a fortnight more, when I began the use of the decoction as the
last resource. On the second evening after its use, there was a distinct
change for the better, the skin being moist with a fall of temperature by
one decree for the first time, and in about 10 or 12 days more the
patient was perfectly free from fever. During the employment of the
decoction no other medicine was used, except a few doses of Dover's
powder, which were necessary on one or two occasions to cheek diarrhœa.
The second case is still more in favour of the decoction. The patient
in this case was a young woman, and was labouring under a fever for
more than a month. There was no doubt that the fever in this case
was typhoid at the commencement, but the patient was distinctly in
a typhous stage when placed under my care after the above period.
Knowing how useful the decoction was from previous experience, I
employed it at once in this case, and the great relief it afforded on the
very first day was astonishing, not only to the parents of the child, but
also to myself. The febrile symptoms were much relieved in 12 hours,
and yielded completely in 2 or 3 days afterwards.
The decoction is still more useful in continued and remittent fevers,
and there is no doubt that it will relieve pyrexia in many other forms
of fever in which I have not yet tried it. The decoction is as follows :
—
Take of Víola odorata , 3 vi ; seeds of Cichorium Intybus, Lactuca
sativa, Cucumis sativus, Cucumis Melo and Layenaria vulgaris, each
3 iij ; fruits of Pimpinella Anisum (aniseed), Cordia Myxa, Cordia
latifolia, Coriandrum sativum (coriander) and Zizyphus Jujuba, each
3 ij ; berries of Solanum indicum and S. nigrum (either of them or an
admixture of both), 3 iiss ; root of Glycyrrhiza glabra (liquorice root)
and unexpanded flowers of Rosa centifolia (rose buds), each 3 ij ; and
ripe and dried fruit of Vitis vinifera (raisins), 3 iv ; break and bruise
all the seeds, fruits, roots and other hard substances, soak them in one
pint of cold water for one or two hours, mix and squeeze with the hands
for a minute or two, boil on a slow fire till the liquid is reduced to half
of its quantity, and strain when cool. This decoction is to be used in
4 doses in the 24 hours, mixing with each dose one drachm of the
watery extract of Tinospora cordifolia (satte-giló) immediately before it
is taken by the patient. In cases of children and youths, the quantity
of all the ingredients is to be reduced according to their age as
follows : —
Age.
Quantity to be reduced to
Between 5 and 7 years
..
• .
..
one-sixth
Do.
7 and 9 do.
..
. .
..
one-fourth.
Do.
9 and 11 do.
.. .. ..
one-third.
Do
11 and 13 do.
.. .. ..
half.
Do.
13 and 15 do.
..
..
..
two-thirds.