The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1863-09-01
COMMUNICATIONS.
A Note for the Doctors.
A REMEDY FOR DIPTHERIA.

From Galignani.
This affection which comprises those known
under the name of bad sore throat, angina.
Group, andsthe French dngine couenneuse, has
hitherto been considered one of the most diff
flcuit to cure. We sometime back gave an
account Of DIR. Trideau's method, which con
sists Ia administering storax under the form of
syrup; but we now find in the Rerue Thera-
peutiQue, paper by DIR. A. De Grand Bou-
logne, Vice Consul at Havana, in which he
mentions ice as an infallibe specific.
AS this, from its extreme simplicity would.
II effective, be far superior to any YET tried.
we cannot refrain from quoting the cases
mentioned by the author. who had published
this remedy az far back as February. 1860. and
consequently complains mot without reason.
il lis efficacy is such as he describes i'll of the
inexcusable negligence OF practitioners in not
taking notice OF 1t, thereby allowing many val
liable lives to be lost. The following cases
came under his observation after that date.
In March and April, 1861, the disease in
question broke out under an epidemic form.
and chiefly attacked adults with such yiru,
lence that in one week three young women
died in one house. ~ ss. & ss. q
One of DIR. De Grands patients, afflicted
with blephacite, was seized with it. and as he
could not immediately attend, owing to the
severity of the case another physician was
called in, who ordered emetics and aluminons
gargles, which produced no effect. At length
Dr. De Grand came, and found the tonsils
greatly swollen, and false membrane cover
ing them. He Immediately administered
small pieces of ice, and by the following morn
ing the tumelaction of the tonsils had dimn-
ished by half, and the false membrane had
nearly disappeared. That very evening she
was enabled to take food.
Prohtlng by this example, few DAYS after
a har xroe cair I..t.tl
sentingt the same preliminary symptoms as those
Of his sister; but he, without waiting for the
doctor, at once took some ice, and was rid of
his sore throat In few hours. Some days lat
er Dr. DeGrand was summoned to Young
lady who had been laboring under the disease
for some forty-eight hours; all remedies had
failed, and the parents, relations and friends of
the family were plunged in the deepest sor-
row. When DIR. De Grand ordered ice a gem
erai cry of astonishment was uttered by all
present.
Ice for sore throat! Impossiblel IT was
sheer murder DIR. De Grand maintained his
ground, and after much expostulation. during
winch much time was lost. he obtained his
end Before twenty-fonr hours were over, the
patient was in full convalescence Being at
Vera Cruz on mission, he was requested TO
see young man who was attacked with ma
lignant sore throat, and had been treated with
out elect by canterizations with hydrochoric
acid and astringent gargles. Here again he
had to battle with the prejudices of the fam
lily, but was at length allowed to, administer
ice. ~ g
The young man recovered in the course OF
the following day. DR.. De Grand has now
been using this remedy for the last twelve
years without having met with single failure.
That is what he says, but even if only half OF
wna. ne says were true, the method should be
tried by others. Cold earrles have been EN-.
ployed with success by DR.. Blanc of Stras-
burg; why not iceP