The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1866-02-12

any ofiits stnges, do not be alarmed by
the name of the disease, or by the mr.
gencyof its symptoms, into the admin
istration of too much medicine. 1t IS
not true that gigantic diseases always
REQUIRE for their cure the use of heroic
remedies. Goliah successfully resisted
the hosts of Israel, but yielded to Pep-
bic from the sling of young David. fhe
urgency of.the symptoms, all looking
10 the speedy prostTation of the patient,
almost inevitably lead to the too ire
quent repetition of large doses OF pow
erful stimuIants and anodynes. Much
harm may certainly be done, by the in
iudicious use of these remedies. They
provefefheient in ordinary cholera NOR
bus, which closely resembles cholerR IN
many of its aspects, and in the former
the only question is, not what are the
proper remedies, but how much OF
them, Will be required to produces their
effect in any given case. The same Is
not true of cholera The two are dis
tinct diseases, the result of very differ
lent causes, and the remedies which do
good in one, may prove injurious In the
other. In cholera the organic sensibn-
ity is greatly impaired, and the little of
it LEFT may be readily drowned out, by
too much stimulation, or extinguished
by the too free use of anodynes. The
public have been taught to look to this
class OF remedies for relief, and 1t re-
iquires much firTnness, on the part of
the practitioner, TO resist the importu-
nifty of friends, for their too free admin
istration. Between the natural incltna-
ton of the physician, the solicitous IN
terference;of attendants, and the hurri-
ed practice necessarily consequent. on
the, full sweep of an epidemic, it is a
question OF very grave doubt whether
more harm has not been done-by hy-
per-than by non-medicatiOn. Il has
often happened, through carelessness,
that the heroic prescriptions of three or
four different physicians have been pour
ed down the throat of one patient
in the course of a single hour What
ever the press of business, such things
ought not to occur. But we return from
this DEPRESSION. o itlsiie
Throughout the first and second sta
ges, the plain indications of treatment
are Io arrest the Hood of watery exudn-
skin. and to arouse and Keep alive the
organic sensibility. The first and often-
times the most difficult duty, which
deyolves upon the physician, in the
successful treatment of the first stage,
is, to so far satisfy the patient of his
danger as toinduce him to give up his
business. and to go to bed. there quietly
to remain until he lis we'll Rest in n
recumbent POSTURE and mental tran
guilty, diminish greatly the requistions
for supply, made ont the great centres oi
organic life, and thus enuble them to
withstand an impression of the poisoni
which would otherwise result in an at
tack of the disease Togo to bed then
is the most important advice that can
be given TO patient, and to follow 1t
should be, in all cases, n sine qua non
in the treatment By following it, the
patient will often recover without med
icine; by disregarding 1t, the most ac-
tive and judiGious treatment will. in
mnnY cases prove entirely unaVaiHng.
The patient being in bed the diarrhQa
will sometimes cease of ITSELF When ii
does not, or when the symptoms become
too urgent TO admit of delay, any one
of the numerous remedies Fecommen-
ded by paysicians may be selected, and
most of them will answer the purpose.
Should there be praeeortial oppression:
indieatinE the presence of undigeSted
food inithe stomach, an emetic should
be administered. Those should be seIec-
ted which act most promptly and cause
the least depression. In former epi-
denies, mustard and salt furnished n
favurite prescription. and under its use,
articles of food were thrown up, which
had remained, nndigested for several
days. If more convenient, other emet-
les, assalum, sulphate of zinc, or ipecac
may be selected. The stomach being
relieved, q few drops of laudanum in
or camphpr water, repeated
aT proper intervals, will often have the
desired effect. The same result will fol-
low the use of5lnudanum or paregoric
with some vegetable astrin-
gent, as kino, catechu or fannie acid.
The following was a fsvorite remedy
with many in, the epidemic of 1S32-33: ::
r. Tinct. OPT, tinct. caInphorte, tinct.
catechu, hnct. cinnamon, comp. tinct.
-capsici, equal parts. Dose, teaspoonful
in water, pEo;re nRta. Cnlomel alone,
in varied doses, and in combination
with opium, camphor, and astringents,
was looked upon as the sheet anchor,
when cholera first made its appearance
in this country. AfIer full and fair
trial of mercnriais, in every dose, and
during all stages OF the disease, aban-
doned their use, except when necessary
to restore the secretions, and open the
bowels, affef the cessation of diarFhea,
or after reaction from collapse. The
first stage of the disease was more GER
tainly relieved by other remedies, whilst
in fthe latter Stages,t calomel in many
cases, seemed to do harm by its de-
pressing effects. 1t is fair to state how
ever that one patient whom L was call
ed to see reacted promptly from the
middle ofithe second stage under the
weight of an ounce and quarter of
calomel. administered in three doses.
during twelve hours, by gentleman
since eminent in his profession. The
same gentleman, when laboring under
an attack some weeks afterwards, took
calomel, in quarter and half grain
doses, every fifteen minutes during
twelve hours. without producing the
slightest effect. He was mt length pre-
vailed on to take othes remedies, and
soon recovered. Each practitioner is
prone to settle down upon some favor
ite prescription. and the following is the
one upon. which, finally relied, with
most confidence, after having given a
fair trial to many others which sugges-
ted themselves to myself or which had
been recommended by others: II Ace
tat plumb, pulv. G. camphorte, ana,
grs.i xxiy, morphise, .grs. ij-iij Ol Gin
namon, quit V; mnc. q. $. L m, divide in
pill. of XII. Sig. One every two, three
or four hours, according to the urgency
of the symptoms During this time the
patient should use some dilnent drink,
such as toast water or balm tea, and be
restricted to mild, harinaceous articles
Of diet. Under such simple treatment
us this, nearly every case will recover
from the first stage of the disease. 81
When treatment commences too late
to arrest the disease in its first stage, or
when the patient is not seen until the
commencement of the second, n some
what more active treatment becomes
necessary. 1t is now that the symp-
toms seem to demand the use Of the most
powerful stimulapts and anodynes,
and It is here that the physician is call
ed on to exercise all his. forbearance,
and display all his decision OF charac-
ter. The writer having nsed himself,
and having Witnessed IN others the use
of'eyery variety of st1mulanfs, IN all
doses during this stage, was forced To
the conclusion, that, as general rule,
theyTdid no good, but that, In many
c,tses, they did positive harm. Their
effect omen was, to depress still farther
the already waning organic sensibiIity,