Worcester daily spy. [volume] (Worcester [Mass.]) 1850-1888, 1854-07-29
Treatments of thc Cholera.

read withinterest at this time, and it is worthy
of being placed on record for future reference.
1t should always be kept in mind that the
hrst form OF the disease is almost invariably
common diarrhea. In some instances this
may exist for one or two days in others it
may exist for only one or two hours before the
peculiar character of the disease is developed.
1t is Just during this stage of the disease, that
| remedies may be used with almost certain sue
cess. 1t is this fact that makes it important
that every family and every individual should
have remedies at hand, and should use them
without waiting for physician. Many life
has been sacrificed by doing nothing till the
| physician arrives; and when he ones he
finds the patient beyond the reach of his skill.
| The first thing to be done is to stop the in
cipient diarrhea. There is usually a strange
indisposition to attend to this The person
attacked often feels no pain keeps about his
usual employment; feels as though he should
| certainly be well as soon as he finishes his
work, and can rest little; and, as the dis
ease progresses, this singular deception seems
to progress with it, until suddenly cramps,
vomiting, and strong and rapid pulse, a sense
OF burning internal heat, and great thirst an
nounce the onset of the disease. Even in this
stage, there is comparatively little danger, if
remedies be used before the collapse or cold
state commences. l have been called to a
large number of such cases and, without
any medical knowledge or experience, more
than many heads Of families have acquired in
the care of their own children, [ have never
failed in a single instance of effecting speedy
cure.
The medicine I have generally used has
been the following Two ounces of Tincture
OF Ginger; one ounce of TIncture of Capsi-
cum, Cred Pepper; one ounce ofLaudanum.
OF this mixture, l give an adult two tea
spoonfuls, IN about half tea cup, or a little
less. of water. If the patient has vomiting, I
apply as soon as possible strong mustard
draft, of pure mustard, -four and vinegar to
the pit Of the stomach, and prepare two doses
of the medicine as above. The first being
given is thrown off, and as soon as the stom-
aeh is thus emptied, the second dose is taken
Immediately, and it will usually remain for
some time. Bleeding from the arm is the
next thing, and no time is to be lost in taking
from eight to ten ounces of blood. When the
pulse is high, the system i'll feverish state,
have always bled fearlessly, without waiting
for medical advice, and always with good
| effect. The mustard draft should be removed
! or drawn aside, when it become very painful.
| The medicine should be repeated as often
as the discharges from the bowels recur; and
! if there is any tendency to GOODNESS in the
| feet, mustard draughts should be Immediately
| applied, and bottles Of hot water placed near.
There is another thing of great Importance
to be attended to. If the person attacked has
recently eaten heartily, or of injurious food,
the stomach should be Immediately relieved.
In one alarming and violent case, in which
the state of collapse seemed Just to have COM
menced, and to be almost simultaneous with
the attack. l found the person had overload
ed his stomach and with cucumbers. 1 i'm
medlately mixed lumber of mustard and
warm water, large spoonful of strong Eng
ish mustard TO a tumbler Of water and as
soon as the patient drank it off, he threw up a
large quantity of crude cucumber After this
the above remedies were successfully used.
have met with three cases in which it was
impossible to stop the diarrhea by any of the
anti-cholera mixtures here used. An iniec-
ton of starch, with teaspoonful oflaudanum
YES, however, sufficient to check it at once,
and after being repeated two or three times, as
the diarrhea commenced again, diminishing,
! however, the quantity oflaudanum each time,
the diarrhea ceased altogether In case Of
fainting or tendency to faint, little eamphor-
ated water is an excellent preventative.
The cramps are relieved by rubbing the
parts affected by strong liniments. A mix
ture OF volatile hniment and opodeldoc, used
plentifully and well rubbed in, will be found
useful. There are other liniments the COM
position of which do not know, which still
were efiicacious.
In the case of simple diarrhea, the treatment
is very easy. At its very commencement, two
teaspoonfuls of the above mixture will often
be found sufficient [ have used it in no less
than fifty cases with perfect success, the diet
being in the meantime nothing but rice water,
| or cruel made of rice -four well cooked the
| A robi md of
ture have often used, and found it perhaps
| equally efHcacious to check the diarrhea, al
though it does not SO readily relieve collie
| pans. 1t is equal parts, by measure, of Lauda-
mum, Iincture of Rhubarb, and Of Camphor,
| dissolved in Alcohol.) From 20 to Is drops
on sugar, is dose for an adult, repeated as
often as the diarrhea recurs, or once every 4
hours, until the natural condition ofthe bow
els is restored.
/ This is an excellent prescription for all COM
mon diarrheas. have repeatedly given it to
persons who have used it among their chill
dren and servants, and prize it as of great
YalEe. L believe IL is common family pre-
scription among you, and if intelligentlv used
in every family, at the first signal Of derange-
ment in the system, would of itself be suffi-
Gent to check the progress of the cholera at
| once.
In my experience with cholera, have met
with six cases advanced into the stage of col
lapse before anything was done. The pulse
| was imperceptible, the limbs cold, the face and
hands of blush hue. the blood settled UNI
| der the nails the eyes sunken, the counten-
| ance extremely anxious, and mortal restless
ness through the whole system. Three of
| these recovered and three died. administer
ed the medicine first mentioned in large guam
titles, applied the strongest mustard draughts
l hot ho IL 49, al.