The Wheeling daily register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1864-1878, 1865-11-02

III 10 uotVeT nOU 10 OTlnk WdCeT lmuleul
ately after taking the medicine. In cases
where we have made use of the above
mixture we gave as an initial dose thirty
drops. repeating ii with sixty drops il
the discharges continued, still repeating
if necessary, increased by five or ten
! drops, after each evacuation, until the
dose reaches one hundred, when, in some
very rare and obstinate cases, we check
| ed the discharges by means of injections
| of cooked starch (cOld,) and containing
from forty to fifty drops of laudanum.
In cases where vomiting was a prom.
inent symptom, or where there was collie
or cramps, we made use of another nix.
ture, which is composed of equal parts
of laudanuIn, tincture of capsicum, tiuct-
ure of cardamone seeds and tincture OF
ginger dose, thirty to forty drops, with
a little water, and administered immedi-
ately after the parOxysm of vomiting
This preparation / have never seen fail
in checking and relieving vomiting and
collie. These two mixtures We're our
specifics, especially the former, and in
alfserious cases we made use of the fol-
lowing auxiliaries: First. we ordered the
patient to lie down upon his back, and
keep perfectly quiet; then we applied
mustard plasters to his stomach and
ankles, and ordered him if possible not
To swallow anything during the day.
Where the thirst seemed insuppOrtable
we allowed small quantities of cold gum
arabic water to be taken, and occasional
ly very small pieces of ice to melt i'll the
mouth; but have observed that when
ever this most difficult and severe in
junction was strictly followed, and the
mouth frequently rinsed but nothing at
all swallowed for twelve or eighteen
hours, the result was far more satisfac-
tory. In cases of children and fretful,
nervous patients, something must be
given, and solution of gum arabic is as
good as anything. In cases of retention
ofurine, which frequently occurs Though
not always, us some authorities state, J
in cholera, have seen good results from
administering during the fever stage
small doses OF diluted phosphoric acid,
forty drops to pound of water, IA table
spoonful in an hour gave it sometimes
in the gum arabic solution above referred
to- Our generaltpractice, however, was,
after administering the mixture intend
ed to check the discharges, TO order the
patient to swallow nothing more that
day, unless it should be another dose OF
the mixture, and when he oheyed orders
he generally came out all right. An in
stance occurs to my mind Of Il poor fel-
low whom we found lying i'll damp
underground sort of a stable, unable to
raise lis head, and fast approaching the
collapsed stage of cholera We gave
him sixty drops of the first mixture, had
him rinse out his mouth put on u mus
tard plaster, and rubbed his hands and
feet little Then we told him that, as
it was already afternoon, we should not
see him again that day; that he was III
a bad place and very sick, with none to
help, and his livisg till morning depend
ed, with Gods blessing, on his obeying
our orders. All" said he. "you may
trust me; was eighteen years soldier.
| | was under an English officer at Bala-
| klava. and know what command means"
''Very WELL" said l, there's the jug OF
water to he by your side through the
night, but don't swallow drop of 1t.
| Wash your mouth as much as you like" "
| So we left him To struggle atone with the
disease The next morning, as we push
ed open the little crcaking door of his
room, Il hearty, strong voice sang ont,
Good morning to you; you are
welcome" and the old soldier was set
ting llp on his pallet of straw, las bright
as IA dollar" He had obeyed orders In
two DAYS more he was OIL our hands,
After the diarrhea and vomiting We're
checked, during the continuance of the
fever We gave little except chamomllc or
linden flower tea (gemera!ly the tormer,)
and occasionally putting into 1t a few
drops OF sweet spirits of nitrc; and, by
allowing nothing to be eaten but PLAIN
soup or beef tea, and torbidding lemons
and ices, the palieuts generally got
about i'll few days.
When we found a patient i'll the col
lapsed state already described as the
third and last ssage OF the disease, If the
discharges had not already ceased we
administered strong dose OF the mcdi-
cine, but placed our main dependence
upon mustard plastcrs, bottles of hot
water hot bricks. (where practicable a
hot bath, )iviolent and continued rubbing
of feet and hands with spirits, and fire.
ouent doses Of small quantities of bran
DIV to stimulate the vital powers and
start into circulation the stagnant blood.
We have given III such desperate cases q
tablespoonful and half of good brandy
with a little water every fifteen minutes
until a reaction took place; then table
spoonful once in twenty minutes; then
half an hour, then an hour, then two
hours, until ali the ComatOse symptoms
had disappeared In cases where pa
ttients we're much reduced we gave them
as nounshment arrowroot with little
brandy after the crisis of the disease was
past
Our treatment in short, consisted i'll
the use of the simplest means at hand,
| and the disadvantages under which we
labored prevented us from using any but
such meaus We come now to state
briefly the success which attended the
above described method.
The number of cases OF fully develop
ed cholera which we personally attended
was one hundred dad four, which does not
include the many cases, perhaps double
that number, of those who, although ac-
tually suffering from cholera, vet were
able 10 come to our room tor medicine ;
also the many eases (alluded to in my
last letter. who, living ont of the limits
within which We were compelled To con
fine our visits, we could not see, but to
whom we sent medicine and treated 10y
proxy. These one hundred and four were
all persons whom we found lying i'll bed
. L..