American Republican and Baltimore daily clipper. [volume] (Baltimore, Md.) 1844-1846, 1846-01-10
[For the American Republican,
TREATMENT OF SMALL POX.


MEssRs. EDlroRs:-My attention has been
arrested in special manner by an article pub
lshed in your paper of the 8 LIST ult., and feel
it a duty owe to the community to offer few
observations on that article-we allude to re-
marks on small Pox, by doctor Youngove;
publication than which we could not imagine
any thing SO replete with error, and danger to
mankind. Let it not be defended under the
too frequently delusve belief of improvement;
it is indeed, in very deed in its main gist the re-
vival ofnotons that destroyed millions ofthe hu-
man race before the day of Sydenham, who has
justly been said to have been, 'the saviour OF
millions yet unborn" because he exposed the
error Of forcing out small pox eruption, when
in truth, this is most sedulously to be guarded
against
We consider the article of DIR. Y. a singular
tissue of error, not only rePlete with danger,
but it has not the appearance of having been
written by medical observer-he confounds
the preparatory treatment, and the treatment
of the disease in very unsatisfactory manner,
or rather he seems to view them as the Same
thing.
We are told that call such as are in tolerable
health need no medical preparation. Their
ought to be good new milk, chocolate, tea or the
to keep them ntolerable strength, avoiding 81
der, wine, and spirits, as we'll as pepper and
other heating substances, and sailed meats; to
eat but little meat of any kind, and the very
moderate use of butter. They should avoid
all extremes of heat, wet or cold, and keep
themselves habitually little cooler than usual
at other times" We are also told that, per-
Sons who have been exposed to the small pox
IN hat Taa aH in bn aTf1n ma aG
innocuated.
We hold that the main gist of the above
quotation Is highly erroneous and dangerous
and the more so because it is followed by
still stronger expression in favor Of excepting
up the strength" and favoring the eruption by
milk Just from the COW, sc. We have no hes
itation in saying that the greatest error that
ever was attached to the practice of medicine
was, the error Of driUing, striving TO drive out
the small por eruption. We have innoculated,
to say the least, hundreds for small pox, and
we have known many who did the same, and the
SUCCESS which attended the practice of innocu-
lation in former years shew the correctness Of
their practice-that practice consisted in ra-
pid, and complete reduction of the SYSTEM
This was done by the most slender course OF
diet that could be devised, (there being very
few cases of exception from great debility of
habt.) Milk was we'll watered tea and cho-
colate withheld, and meats of every kind, and
butter, were absolutely iorbidden-mush with
milk and water, molasses and mush, bread and
molasses, roasted potatoes without salt, dried
fruits, &C., constituted the fare, and so we'll
marked was the effect of this course, that devil
atoms were often brought to light, by greater
severity of disease which followed transgres-
sions in diet.
We deem the point under notice of the very
first Importance, for it there be one sound az
ION in the science Of medicine, it is, that IN the
treatment of small pox, you must reduce the
circuatory systemby the lowest diet and drinks,
and the free and constant application oil cool
air. The Wis medicatriX nature is not to be
trusted here-nature always does too much, or
stands still, as regards the eruption. But to re-
turn to our innoculaton, it was deemed no less
important TO relieve the first passages OF lrrlta-
ting impurities, by means Of ght purgatiVes,
| (and III summer months even little calomel,)
than it was to thin the blood by Withholding
nuriment,
"During the symptonatic complaints, forth
tude and patience are in most cases the only
proper remedies, avoiding the fire and other
unnecessary warmth, and violent exercise. -
What are we TO understand by "symptomatlc
complants?n Docs the doctor mean the dis
ease? Well, small poX when severe, which 1t
in most cases is, constituted OF violent lever,
sometimes of a highly malignant type, and like
other fevers is attended with severe chills, tor
turing headache and backacbe. We have not
| found our patients fond oftoo much ''violent ex-
ercise,n unless we now and then see some VIC
tim, frantic with derium, making his escape
! from his bed. To advise a patient who is Wri-
thing under this indomitable disease, already
half dead from an early hour Of his attack of
small pox, to be courageous g. e. have FORTH
tude, might well subject his medical adviser
to the name of any thing rather than friend,
or desirable counsellor-patience! patience
good fellow, have tortitude, this is the balm OF
Gilead for the small pox-trom all such advis-
ers "good Lord deliver u.s." To our apprehen-
sion, this would appear no less absurd and I'M
satisfactory, to man Of common sense, suffer-
ing severely under disease, than to tell him he
was not entitled to our COMMUNICATION, nor to
the benefits of the art Of mediciue-it is about
equal to telling the starving calf to olive till
Spring and it should have grass"
Until the days Of Sydenham, (say, early in
the second half of the 18th century, the whole
profession eff Europe derived their knowledge
of small pox from the Arabian writer's, and
their practice founded on erroneous views, add
ed millions to the mortality of small pox. But
that truly philanthropc and great physician,
the greatest that ever illuminated the path oil
medicine, broke through all the restraints OF
the age, and adopted views and plaza Of treat
men; directly opposite to that Of all his prcde-
cpssors, and contemporaries. For s,inaa@ts
and hot ar, Ii. employed cool drinks, cold iir,
light clothing, lying on the bed, not IN it, a
mid but highly important medical treatment