Jeffersonian Republican. [volume] (Stroudsburg, Pa.) 1840-1853, 1849-05-24
The Cholera.

We should not publish such a Letter as The
subjoined, indeed any letter containing
opinion or advice on a subject so grave as tha,
OF the treaimen, Of fearful and generally fatal
pes,ilence. wi,hou, declaring the authority upon
which u IS given, 10 ahsoive Us from any
responsibility for il. The case being one IN which
we are not qualified 10 pronounce any opinion.
The writer OF this Letter, 10 which he has cho.
sen 10 give The form OF an address TO the high
es' auIhorry. is Tennessean, Physician of
forty years standing, and, as the reader will
perceive from his signature, was formerly a
Surgeon IN 'he Army, IN the same regiment,
We believe, of which Gen. TAYLOR was then
an officer.--Nat Int
To Maj. Gen. Taylor, President of the U S ::
SIR: have the pleasure Of communicating
10 you, aud, through you. TO the different Heads
ol Departments. TO The Army aud Navy of the
United STATES, and also 10 all Foreign Diplo-
matte Agents al or near the sea, of our Govern
men', my Theory of CHOLERA and success
lal prac'ce founded upon ,ha, theory | am the
more disposed 10 give you an abstract of my
theory and practice, at this this time. of that
disease. as It is taking off hundreds not only in
other countries, but In many parts of our own
country. shall limit my observations to SIN
gle letter, YET Aa,er myself shall be under
stood.
That the disease is conveyed in the atmos.
phere there seems 10 be no reason lie doubt, or
that i, is waited in currents There is as Iiule
reason TO dispute tha, j, attacks those who are
predisposed 10 IL by their containing in their
system matter or air of similar nature with
that floating IN The atmosphere. We find The
negro more subject 10 II than the while man
The white man more than the white woman-s
The negro has more nl,rogen aud less ozygeH
aboui his person THAI The white mar. Il "a
this superaeundance Of nitrogen which lake
TO be nearly allied to he remo'e Cause of cho-
Iera BY ITS effects on the skin II produces
relaxation of ,he intes,nes and re,rogade mo-
non of the laceals AID lympha'lcs, and paruc-
ularly the ,horacic duct, which Is always found
empty In post mottem examinations. When
he relaxation nf The lnie>Ilnes takes place the
ecaI matter is first discharged, and hen comes
The chyle and lymph, which are thrown on the
inieslnes IN the iorm and appearance Of rice
wafer. and out We now perceive The rea-
son why there l. no bile in The discharges, there
being no blood out Of which TO secret
bile as, also, why there is urine in the
urinary bladder tina, being always found drawn
up into knot. There Is no new blood sent TO
he kdneys GU, Of which to make urine the
disease is indeed flooding away of the white
blood, (if may call ny II / am correct.
we see mistake that has heretofore been
made in looking to The liver as the cause of the
disease, or being in fault, as excuse TO give
colonel TO goad the liver into action to secre,
bile. when II has nothing sent to il on, Of which
TO make il. The same may be said Of the kid
neys; they cannot be charged With being a,
faul, in not supplying The urinary bladder with
urine, as new blood is sent 10 them GU, Of
which 10 make urine When all he fecal mat.
ter l. discharged then comes the rlce-wa,er. and
IN few snonIen,s a collapse takes place. Then
We are told that the patient Is beyond reach of
The curati plan
say not so; we now give asIringen,s, say
one grain of opium and four grains of kino ev-
cry half hour To children we give strong tinc-
iure of cinnamon, say teaspoonlul or so eve
~ half hour. This ,inctute should be made
out OF The bark We then strip the patient and
throw The coolest wafer we have over The whole
body, hastily wipe dry, aud pu' ,n'o blankets
TO be allowed To- osweat; give him or her
IiItIe wel-boiled corn n-meaI Cruel The cold
water coming III contact with The nitrogen on
the body il forms a neutral: the cramps are in
s,anIy dIss,paled, and 'he regular circulation
returns : The pa'lem is cured The cold clam
my feel of The skin, called sweat in the COL
Iap>ed state, is not sweat, bui condensation
of the hydrogen of the atmosphere the black
and blue appearance is The air pressing on he
surface of the skin on the muscles, which are
deprived of The lymph or wa,ery parts Of The
blood.
have already accounted for there being no
bile in the discharges. come now 10 the
great thirst. Tha, is owing to the exhausted
state of the system the same is seen in per.
sons bleeding 10 death. the call for wafer and
hunters tell Us that deer and other animals.
when wounded run for water. If We are
asked how we accoun, for The cramps. an
swer, II is by The sudden subduction ol life
through the blood The same is seen in he
bullock slaughtered by the butcher; il Is not
the small wound iha, is made, but the drawing
off the blood suddenly give in such cases
cold drinks. or allow my patients TO cal ice.
In 1888 published my theory and practice,
first in paper and then in book and suhse-
quenly had opportunities OF putting my the
ory into practice, and proved il successful be-
yond all doubt
Wnb The highest respect. am. sir. yours.
A. g. GOODLET,
Late Surgeon 7th Regiment .. S. Infantry.
WASHINGTON MAY 3. IS49.