Baton Rouge tri-weekly gazette & comet. [volume] (Baton Rouge, La.) 1865-18??, 1867-09-24
EMETICS IN YELLOW FEVER.


/ wish to state few facts for the con-
sideration of the profession, in regard to
the use of emetcs in the treatment of vel
low fever. In the epidemic Of 1855, |
was employed, under the direction of the
Howard Association, 70 take charge of
their patients IN the upper half Of the
Third District. I saw my first Howard
patient on the 9th of August. During the
balance of that month, as my note book
shows, | visited one hundred and eleUen pa
TENTS. all of whom, were treated on the
general principles approved by our most
experienced physicians at that time; out of
that number 27 or % died. The results
were by no means satisfactory TO my mind
On the LIST day Of September, of that year
determined to take the same course with
the Howard Association patients, which
had previously pursued with my private
patients; and on that day commenced the
treatment of almost every case with
prompt 1pecac Enaetic, given in the usual
way.
From the 1st of September to the 9th of
October, when the epidemic was about
over, visited one hundred and tsoenty- nine
patients, nearly all of whom were freely
vomited. The first sixty-two consecutive
cases, out of the 1873, recovered. Out of
the remaining sixty-seven patients, only
five died; one through mistake on the
part of the wife of the patient, in giving
an overdose of laudanum instead of the
case was that of German boy who was in
q hopeless condition when first visited.
The third case was that of q woman whose
peculiar condition wholly contra indicated
the uso of an emetic. The fourth case |
could not vomit. The fifth was relapsed
case. The patient was discharged on Fri
day, and advised to remain in his house
for few days. On the Sunday following,
however, he determined to take ride to
the lake-returned, and died in two days.
My treatment after the action of the
emetic was exceedingly mild; light sa-
line, or castor oil cathartic, lemonade, Or
ange leaf tea, diaphoretic mixture, mus
tard foot baths, sponging the surface fire.
quently, ice water to the head, and at the
proper time brandy toddy or wine, with
beef tea, chicken water, or other light diet.
This course, with good nursing, which is all
important in every case, resulted as l have
stated, and as the records of the Howard
Association will show. When | com
menced the emetic plan of treatment en-
tirely discontinued the practice of cuppSng
and leechang, which l used diligently in
my first one hundred and eleven cases.
Whether emetics would act equally ia
vorable in the present epidemic, i am not
to say. have employed them
in q few cases to which have been called
soon after the attack occurred these have
all recovered except one, who is doing
we'll. My only fatal case this season was
a gentleman l feared to vomlt, owing to
the peculiar circumstances Of his case. |
am aware that it is common objection to
the use of emetics in this disease, that they
are likely to aggravate the existing irrita-
Bile state of the stomach.
But the slight irritation produced by an
emetic will be much less, as q general
thing, than that occasioned by the continued
of undigested food, or acid secre-
tso", the latter being present in almost
every case.
The following are some Of the objects
proposed to be accomplished by the use of |
emetcs
I. To dislodge from the stomach all for
eign substances and offending material, |
whether Of undigested food or morbid Sc