The Emporia news. [volume] (Emporia, Kan.) 1859-1881, 1860-08-04
THE AGUE.

THE AGUE.
tFron Vol. osths Nzw AHE.IcAs cYcLoruprA.l
1t is now admitted that the eff1uvia aris-
ing from the decomposition of vegetable
m, 'tter in the midst of stagnant water or
mar. shy ground, is the cause of ague.-
VIVA, the chemical nature of the effluvia
NAV be-. is Tot well known. Some say car
bonnic acid, mainly; others, nitrogen; others
again, hydro-carburetted gas, or hydro
= s1lpharetted gas, or peculiar compound
of nitrogen and oxygen called septon.-
Wherever the ground is moist and contains
decaying vegetable matter, this poison may
be generated. Woods produce !. almost Al
much as marshes, because in some locali-
ties the ground remains always damp, and
contains decaying vegetable matter. This
is the case in the woody districts of Hamp-
shire, Kent. and Sussex in England. The
Jungle of India consists of a low dense
growth of brushwood, and thickets of reeds
and grass. in which there is vast amount
of wet and decaying vegetation, acted upon
by the inteuse heat of the atmosphere, and
producing fever poison in the highest de-
gree of concentration. Rice grounds are
also productive of fever; and DR.. Rush
states, that in Pennsylvania. epidemics al
ways follow the clearing and cultivation of
forest lands. It has been observ ed that the
district of Breese, near Lyons, in France,
was healthy when full of woods, but has
become nearly depopulated since they were
cut down. Here it is supposed that the
shade of the trees kept the rays of the sun
from the wet ground, and thus retarded the
decay of vegetable matter. Meadow land
imperfectly drained contains an abundance
of decaying vegetable matter. and when
this is exposed to the heat of the sun, ague
becomes rife in the immediate vicinity
The poison floating in the air may be car
ried TO distance by the wind. In warm
climates, the marsh poison sometimes proves
fatal to ships crew several miles from
land. 1t is brought viii: the land WIND,
and may be carried as far as the slicc.ll OF
the land is perceptible. This is well known
to sailors, for cases are recorded of careless
seamen who remained on deck, in ATTITUDES
where fevers are known to be fatal, being
invariably seized with the disease, while
those who were more prudent and went be-
low decks, as soon as the smell of the land
was brought by the wind from shore miles
away, were not at all affected. Moist air
also conveys it better than dry. Persons
who live in the basement story of damp
and undrained house, and especially those
yer. while those who occupy the upper sto-
ries of the same house are not affected by
disease. The treatment of ague is now
deemed simple. The first thing to be done
is to remove the patient from the neighbor-
hood in which the poison is generated, 10 a
locality where the air is pure and free from
the eff1uvia of decaying vegetable matter.
Without this change of residence, the cure
is doubtful, because the poison is inhaled
anew with every breath of air. Where this
is inconvenient or impracticable, let the pa
tient occupy the upper portion of the dwell
ing. Ipecacuanha, peruvian bark, and arse
mic, are the most efficient remedies. The
approach of the paroxysm should be care
fully watched. AS soon as the first symp-
toms of the chill! appear, an emetic should
be given, consisting of 10 or Is grains of
ipecacuanha, and one grain of tartar emetic;
and when vomiting begins, warm water, or
q warm infusion of camomile, may be CIV
en- abundantly TO promote the sickness.
When the vomiting is over, 80 drops of
laudanum in one or two ounces of camphor
julep may be taken; this will generally pre-
vent the cold chill, render the hot fit easy.
induce the sweating stage almost at once,
and thus abridge the paroxysm. During
the intermission, bark should De freely Civ
en- in wine; or sulphate of quinine IN
grain doses, every hour, or every hours
according to the severity of the attack.
Where the bowels are much constipated an
infusion of SIENNA with camomile may be
advisable as an aperient. It is said that
where decaying vegetable matter produces
ague in particular localities, certain kinds of
plants may be rendered useful in absorbing
the effiuyia as fast as it is produced, and
thus prevent The poison from attacking the
inhabitants. The sun flower is said to be
one of the most active absorbers of ague
poison; the hop plant is another. In 1855
the experiment was tried at Washington, by
Lieut.. Maury, on the grounds near the Po-
tomac, where the observatory stands, and
which were known to be exceedingly I'M
healthy at some seasons of the year, from
the effects of decaying vegetable matter
The fever was observed 10 make its appear
ance during the 5 months of the year in
which the decay of vegetable matter was
most active, in the marshy grounds around
the observatory. or within short distance
of the place. In the fall of the year 1855.
Lieut. Maury caused strip of land IS feet
wide. TO be dug about feet deep, around
the observatory. at distance of about 200
yards from the river, this land was proper
" prepared for seed, and in the spring OF
1856, was sown with the seeds OF the sun
flower plant, which fourished well; and in
the month of August following, when ague
fever might have been expected to appear as
usual no sickness occurred: and to. the sur
prise of every body the locality remainsd
quite healthy during the whole season
This is remarkable experiment. and wor-
thy of universal attention. Other expert
ments viii probably be made in this dIrec-
,;or and = method found of absorbing, on
larger scale, the poisonous effiuyia of de-
caying vegetable matter IN marshy places.
60 ss to prevent, to some extent al least the