Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, Va. [W. Va.]) 1852-1859, 1854-10-28
Promthe Cincinnati Columbian.
Abstracts Of Reports OF Special Commit
tees made before the Kentucky
State Medical Society.

I
tees made before the Kentucky
State Medical BooiOty.
The following abstracts Of reports, read at the
late session Of the Kentucky Slate Medical Soce.
" will interesting 10 the profession. WeTegret
that our limits forbid our giving these able reports
in r+teHSO, but hope we have given the most lm'
poElunl feOlutes.
Jossph Smith, NJ. D., on Typhoid FsDsr. DIR.
Smith commenced by IemnIking th,t tho history,
ne diagnosis, and the other aspects Of his subject
were ably and fully laid down in many medical
works. and a repetition thereof would be a work
Of supeTOgHtiOn, His own observation Of the dis
ease had been limited, especially OF lyphuE, aad
lhtIe was already an abundance Of me dlOnl specu
latiOn upon other eOpe'sinvtsligalons, and last
ly, It would beimpTopeE loT him 10 discuss the ep
ideno character oil typhoid feVeF as this waA spe.
cially the province oil The committee Un epilemcsj
lie would therefore confne himself 10 making a
few practical remarks and suRgeslionsi
Isl. I have found, said he, the hTst OF onset
symptoms, with but little variation, 10 DO The same
os those OF oil other eTupliys OEecIions, and Olen
precisely the same as thoSs of bilousatlack, aud
tleTeftTe no one can certainly tell the nature VI
the disease SIMPLY from symptoms at the onsel,--
One may guess from The fact Of the disease being
in the neighbOThOOd.
"a. have always observed something like a
regular remission generally the latter patti Of the
night.
rected Tie use Of stimulanls during The TsnissonB
liking the effect ofalcohollc slinulantS better than
Quinine.
4tl The daneetin the disease is geneIallypro
poTlioned 10 the frequency OF the pulse.
9th, Patients generally with a dry, warm skin
were less dangerous than where is a constitutional
tendency to psEspiraton.
9th. Constant high fever Is less dangerous than
a cOngesuVe tendency.
have generally followed the eGpeetaut plan.
meeting the Indications general or local, MS thea
came up, The report concluded by suggesting
the Importance oil an accurate and thorough chenl-
zeal analysis Of the fout great secIetiJns aud eG.
ctetions thrown of by the kidneys, bowels, lungs,
aud skin during the pTOgIsss oil leveE cholera,
pneumonia, aud other dis aSes, and expressing
the belief that by this, physicians would he ena.
bled 10 practice with more confidence.
DR.. John @. DRby'S RsPorOH COh Water aS
% IhsTdpuiie Agent commenced by stating the
circumstances that first directed his attention
thereto. He had read, ON this subject, all Essay
by DR.. Cooke and GuHiTs Medical Reports. The
latter cOntains the testimony Of DR.. Wright m 70.
vor Of cold water in the treatment even OF malig
n.nt levers. In l771 cold water was recommend
ed by an English physician Of high standing, and
perhaps at an earlier date. II isu powerful rem.
edy, whose effects can bemoTe readily Determined
than any other.
Dr.. Cooke states that il was used both by Galen
and HippOcTaies. DR.. Forbes has written ably
aud lengthy in its favor. THESE facts ute noticed
To show that HydTopdthY did moi originate with
PTesnltE, but was used by tie regular faculty In
conjunction with medicines.
L he report stated nslrong terms lie efficacy Ol
The cold dash, aud the suffering, VI patients burn.
| lug up with fever, as described by d.. Lewis, and
10 whUm the water Is refused.
! Dr.. Gregory tned the use ofwater In scarlet fe.
yer when his own children were attacked, aud
| a. III In
Why is tot Dr. Gregory as good authority for The
Use Of cold water rs on nnr other polnti Tie Ob.
jec OF this report is stated 10 be the TelrohucliUn Of
tile old practice OF using waller rs remedial utenl.
The report concluded by describing great
number OF c0ses in Dr.. DaEUy's practice, where
water had been used with The greatest advantage.
| Or O.. H. SpiiWdH nude psry able Report on
suits for Mlpydetiee.--AlleT some alOlUgeiio in.
UoduCtory remarks, i went Un to say that, $50
unsettled aud indelerminiaie are the premises, and
50 constant The alteration VI The lishI aud slad.
nws IN the field OF medoo legal science, tue con
illusions nllainabe ia lhe present state Of our
knowledge are necessarily, to some extent, incOn.
elusive and unsatisfactory.
Adverling to the antiquity Of medical science,
the report continued;
al would not disguise the lnct, that, during the
last half century, the relative postionOl our pro.
lesion to the public has undergone a marked
chungs, Implicit confidence, amounting IN some
instances TO blind cTedulty, has gwen place To vide
spread skepilcism os TO the powers aud capabilities
Oi the healing att. For this our profession rs In
part responsible, but not mninly so. The rage lot
speculation and iheorEng has had this tendency,
when observation and experience have been re-.
elected DsI nIagihg remarks about one member
Of The profession 10y another has the effect
zone Of the principal causes oil this skerIicism,
over which the profession can have no control, Is
want of information among the MASSES relative to
al 1nfa ouIn rF H.,
ers leading to undue expectations. 10 remedy this
want Of information, medical statistics Should be
thrown broadcast over the land. Another reason
for this skeplicsn Is tile apparent COnEdlflelY IN
the doctrines md pTuclic, OF its different msbets
l'heTe may be apparent discrepancy, yet huImOny
m RESULT titus the lancet dgpleles pUTgalYts dc
plele, enlelics Ltplee, and dlhphUIelcs deplrte."
Having thus reviewed the relations Of the nled.
cal profession 10 the public, the report went OIL TO
show 10 what extent the former should he IespOn
sble 10 lie civil tribunals.
In all cases legal aTbiieI should be thoroughly
acquainted with tie subject OF The matter OfthH O.
fence. Generally juuge. jury, and Witnesses in
trials for mnlpTactlces, are profoundly ignOnnl OF
medical science. The physician should be amend
ublU 10 law, but such judicial regulations should
lie adopted ns will rescue the profession from the
hnEaIl Of having lis members subjected to citation
and trial before q tribunal ignOTant Of the matter
in controversy The remedy lies in legal enact.
ment that physicians chaIged with NAL. practice
shall be tried by jury Of their PEERS, i, e. Doc.
lUEs. A number Of cases, showing in strong
light the necessity for ts regulation, were stated
in The repUit and the dungeTOl present modes drv.
ing good men from The procession was urged. The
report next discussed the character Of those whose
conduct should be regarded os a subject Tor adlu
dicalon. There should bean intent TO do injury.
The want oil skill goes to show such intent, or
OF least reckessness, and hence mul'pnctlce may
- IL "A y "a
rant. Each Ui These topics being minutely exam.
ined, aud also under the last Malpractice through
intoGcation criticised, the report concludrd with
q bIief and clear resume Of the train Of Argument.
Tux DEVEAT or THE PronlHlToRr LiaUoR Law
IN PESSsYLvANA.-On the Aggregate yVte Of the
State being 81 length ascertuined beyond doubt,
ZONE discussion is going on in the press Of the
State as 10 what course shall be pursued on the
subject. Various western journals are advocating
a proDosition 10 pass law for any CO... 10 establish