Sunbury American and Shamokin journal. [volume] (Sunbury, Northumberland Co., Pa.) 1840-1848, 1846-02-07
From the American Republican
TREATMENT OF SMALL POx.

Iished in your paper of the 3lst nit, and feel j
duty owe to the community to offer few oh
servations on that dr,ce--we alude TO re-
marks on small pox, by doctor Younglove, pub
| lication than which we could not imagine any
thing replete with error, and danger TO man
! kind. Let il not he defended under the too fre
| quently delusive belief of improvements; it is in
deed, in very deed in its main gist the revival
of notions that destroyed millions of the human
race before the day of Sydenham, who has just
y been sold to have been, "the saviour of mil
lions yet unborn" because he exposed the er.
ror of forcing out small pox eruption. when in
truth, this is most sedulously TO be guarded
! against
We consider the article of DR.. Y singular
tissue OF error, not only repee with danger. but
1t has not the appearance Of having been writ.
ten by medical observer-he contonnds the pre-.
paratory treatment and the treatment OF the dis.
ease in very unsatisfactory manner, or rather
he seems to view them as the same thing.
We are told that "all such as are in ,olerable
heath need no medical preparation. Their
ought to be good new milk, chocolate, ten or
the like, with other bland nu,rcous food suf-
ticlent TO keep in toeroble strength, avoiding 81.
der, wine, and spirits, rs well as pepper and o.
ther heating substances, and salted meats; TO
eat but little meat Of any kind, and the very
moderate use Of butter. They should avoid all
extremes of heat, wet cold, and keep themselves
habitualy little cooler than usual mt other
times" We are also told that persons who
have been exposed to the small pox ought 10 be
treated in the same manner as those nnocuat.
ed.
We hold that the main gist of the above quo
tatlon is highly erroneous and dangerous-and
the more so because it is followed by still
stronger expression in favor of "keeping up the
strength" and iavoring the eruption by milk
just from the COW, &c. We have no hesitation
in saying that the greatest error that ever was
attached to the practice of medicine was the
error Of driring, or striving 10 dripe 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 prac'ice-that practice consisted in ra.
pld, and complete reduction of the system
This was done by the most slender course of
diet that could be devised, Chere being very
few cases OF exception from great debility of ha,
bit) MIX was we'll watered, tea and choco-
late withheld, and meats of every kind, and but.
ter, were absolutely iorbdden-ruush with milk
and water, molasses, roasted potatoes wilhou,
salt, dried fruits, &c. constituted the fare, and
so well marked was the effect of this course,
that deviations were often brought TO light, by
transgressions indiet.
We deem the point under notice of the very
first Importance, for, if there be one sound AK.
ION in the science of medicine, il is, that in the
treatment of small pox, you must reduce the
circulatory system by the lowest diet and drinks,
and the free and constant application OF cool
air. The Wis medicatrx nature is not to be
trusted still, as regards the eruption. But to
return to our innoculation, it was deemed no
less important TO relieve the first passages os
irritating impurities, by means of light purga-
mel than it was to thin the blood by withhold.
ing nutriment.
"During the symptomatic complaints, forttude
and patience are in most cases the only proper
remedies. avoiding the fire and other unncces.
ssry warmth, and violent exercise What are
we to understand by "symptomatic complaints" :"
Does the doctor mean the disease! Well, small
pox when severe, which il in most cases is, con.
stltuted OF violent fever, sometimes OF d highly
malignant type, end like other feveTs is attend
ed with severe chills. torturing headache and
backache. We have not found our patients
fond of too much 'violent exercise" unless we
now and then see some victim, frantic with de-
lirum, making his escape from his bed. To
advise patient who is wrthing under this in
domitable disease, already half dead from an
early hour ofhis attack OF small pox, to be cour.
ogeous Ii. e. have fortitude,) might well sub.
ject his medical adviser to the name of any thing
rather than friend, or desirable counsellor
patience! patience good fellow, have .Gorti-
tude, this is the balm of Gllead for the small
pox--from all such advlrers "good Lord deliver
u.s." To our apprehension, this would appear
no less absurd and unsatisfactory, to man of
common sense, suffering severly rnder disease,
than to tell him he was not entitled to our conf
miseratun, nor to the benefits of the art ofmed.