The Dorset County Express and Agricultural Gazette.
Dorchester, Dorset, England, 1859-01-11 00:00:00

HEALTH AND DISEASE.

Dtrriini.c.—Tlee following letter has been addressed
to the Editor of the Ti ii 444 : Sir,—This disorder
whether called by that moue, or cynanclie, or throat-
fever—has already thrown thousands of families into
mourning, and threatens in saline quarters to he still more
fst.d. hiving myseif suffered from it, and having seen
others I.lllTer and die Around inc. I am induced to seed a
few plain inquiries, to which I would earnestly invite
the attention of inedie.al men especially, with the hope
of thus helping to stop the progress of this dreadful
malady, and to allay the apprehensions that Are now so
generally and with so loud' reason entertained respect-
ing it :-Ist, them—What precaution should be used by
way of prevention? 2nd. What are the surest symp-
toms of the disease, whether of a mild or • thagligant
nature? This is of great importance, as, from my own
experience and that of others there seems to be little Of
. . .

no' pain attending its early stages, and as it is said that
ouch depends upon its being noticed in time. 3rd. oo
the appearance of the symptoms what should be done by
those who cannot call in a medical man at once? 4th.
What steps should be taken to prevent infection from
the living and the dead? That this disease is infectious
no one will doubt who (like :no has taken it from
another, and who liar seen children dropping off in the
same household one after another. By allowing this
letter ironer in your paper you may be the means of
giving relief awl comfort to ninny, besides one who
truly subscribes himself—A N AFFLICTED FATHER.

The Tilers of Wednesday contained the following
letters, addressed to the Editor, on the above subject :
Sir,—To the queries of "An Afflicted Father" I
should answer shortly, to the first,—To see that a U
drains, water-closets, and other sources of malaria are
in good order. Also to endeavour to keep the general
health in the best order by good living awl adequate
out-of -door exercise. . _

--
To the second,—There is always some slight etiffnete
and uneasinem complained of. This ought to draw
attention to the throat, when the peculiar appearance
of the ulcer will at once determine its nature.

To the third,—The means I Wit: are extremely simple,
and hitherto have been most effectual. I give the
sesimicarbonate of ammonia dissolved in a little water
and sweetened, from two grains to a baby of a year old
to 10 grains to au adult, repeating it every hour,
together with Lb much nourishment of every kind as can
possibly be gut down. .kt the same time I rub the
outside of the throat with • strong embrocation of
camphor and ammonia. When this treatment is
begun early and judiciously continued the dipthera, or
skin, front which it takes its name, is rarely seen.
To the fourth,—As to infection, there is reason to
believe that the diseatie oftener arises from malaria.

There may be only slight indications of drains, Lc.,
being out of order, and yet quite enough to debilitate
the system. In many houses in London and the suburbs
there is one cause I have never yet seen noticed—
namely, that the water-closets in the basement stories
are often not properly trapped, and thence the poison
(ruin tile sewers permeates through the entire house,
especially affecting the nurseries, which are usually in
the upper atories.-11.D. Kensington.
Sir,—Why is this disease so fatal? Unhesitatingly I
answer, because it is mistreated. The local disease is
nut the beg g, but the end. It grows out of a
Febrile condition of the whole body, and its source is the
brain. Inptheria is • new-tangled name fur an old-
fashioned disease, malignant quinsey, which in the days
of our grandmothers was successfully treated by emetics
an bark.

This O. the treatment which I have never yet found
fail. Let me give you a ease. I was telegraphed to
Brighton to see the daughter of a General officer who
woo suffering from this disease. WIICII 1 entered tho
room she was sitting up in bed breathing with great
difficulty. The glands of the neck were hut and tumid ;
the tonsils on examination were of the colour of red
velvet ; but an emetic of ipecacumilin in 15 minutes not
wily relieved the breathing most effectually, but com-
pletely changed the colour of the Weeds, and in 15
more the external glands, whose use arrested
my eyes on my approach, could not be felt with the
lingers. 11. combination of ituinine and prussic acid
witii a repetition of the emetic the next day completed
the cure.—ANiiritEtt M.D.

Fa rat. exnEs or A S.Ezir ESlX.—There are in
Lon.luii lZi iiusitln ...here surgical operations are being
irecluently perluritie.l. Some of these ate small ;we
will, therclure confine our attention to the ten largest
inetropulatian lits.pitAls. St.
isicimely large ; at the leaser Hospital of University
College 4,440, and at Cliaring-cruss Hospital, I,OMI
operations have been performed under chloroform
during the limit ten years. St. George s, though larger
than University Cullsje, is probably of lUntilUill
aml may, therefore, be fairly taken as represelting the
average number of operations which are performed in
each of the other nine. lu this hospital 3,01 M opera-
tions are said to hare been perturmed within the period
just mentioned. If we multiply this number by ten,
which is the number of the principal hospitals in
London, it appears that at least 311,0tfil operations have
been performed in the metropolis during the ten years
in which choloform has been used. We are aware that
according to the statistical statements respecting the
surgical operations performed in London which have
been publisliet: in the .111111rol Tiara mill Gazette
during the last four years, and which we have carefully
examined, not inure than 10,01.10 operations have been
performed in London during the last ten years. But
those statements only comprise the " principal opera.
tions," and must exclude, as indeed we know Hwy do,
and, as is 'moved by the ditto obtained front St. George's,
University College, and ('haring-cross, an immense
number of easel ill which chloroform is given. Now, if
without considering the upper cianCli, who do not
resort to hospitals, we regard the hospitaLi of London as
affording surgical aid to all who require it out of a popu-
lation of, say 3,000,000 ; if we aupporke that the rest of
the population of the Limited Kingdom, and the popu-
lation of France, Germany, and the United States
demouid eurgical aid in the same numerical proportion
as the people in and around Loudon serum to du ; and if
we estimate time total "copulation iof these countries at
120,000,1 M, we arrive at the cunslusiim that during the
lad tell years the number of surgical operations which
have been performed in the I iiitoh Kingdom, the United
Sbsts,i, France, owl llerinaity collectively ii 1,200,0110.
We have confined ourselves to these countries because it
is from them mainly, though list exclusively, that the
reports of deaths (ruin amestlietic agents have been col-
lected. Among the deaths ascribed to chloroform there
are seven the cause of which is uncertain. Assuming
four of these to be due to chloroform, the following is a
statement of all the deaths which we have been able to
learn l as having occurred either in Europe or America
front the inhalation of amesthetic vapours :—Deaths
from chloroform, ; from :ether, 2 ; from mixture of
chloroform and :ether, 1 ; (ruin mixture of chloroform
and alcohol, I ; from amylene, 2. Total, West-
otiostcr Ilt ricer fur January.

AT THE ROYAL ACCOUCH LLL N L
From A mei ~,, ir of the late 1/r. Snow, in the Medical
Time., we learn that on April the 7th, 1851, he admi-
nisten.%l chloroform to Her Majesty at the birth of the
Prince Ismpold. A note ill his diary records the event.
The inhalation lasted it • tea. The chloroform WY
given on a handkerchief, in 15 minim doses, and the
Queen expressed herself as greatly relieved by the
ailininistrstion. lie lied previously been consulted on
the occasion of the birth of Prince Arthur in 1850, but
had not been called in to render his eervioes. Previous
to the birth of Prinoe Leopold lie had been honoured
with ali interview with his Royal High-
Held the Prince Albert, and returned much over-
oyehl with the Pnnce's kindness and great intelligence
on the scientific points which had formed the subject of
their conversation. OH the 14th of April, 1857, another
note in the diary reoorls the feet of the SeCOlOl adminis-
(ration of chloroform ro Ifer Majesty, at the birth of
the Prince.' Beatrice. The chloroform again exerted
its beneficent influence, and Her Majesty once more
expressed herself as much satisfied with the result.
Inquisitive folk often overburdened Snow, after these
evoitA, with a multitude of questions of an unmeaning
kind. He anawereil them with all good-natured reserve.
•• Her Majesty is • model patient," was his usual reply;
a reply which, he once said, seemed to answer even
purpose, and MIA very true. One lady of an inquiring
mind, to whom lie was administering chloroform, got
very loquaciotm during the period of excitement, Ina
declared she would inhale no more of the vapour milts'
slie were told what the queen said, word for word,
when she was taking it. "Her Majesty," replied the
doctor, "asked no questions until she had breathed
very much longer than you have; and if you only go on
in loyal imitation I will tell you everything. This
patient could not but follow the example held out to
her. In • few seconds she forgot all shoat gni+.
Lords, and Commons, and when the time CA4OO for •
renewal of hostilities found that her clever witness !end
go us borne to his dinner, leaving her with the thirst
for knowledge still on her tongue.