Buchanan County bulletin. [volume] (Independence, Iowa) 1869-1891, 1870-03-25
Scarlet Fever.

Dr. DON, 0l b0aton. IufNAneS GOOu
Neqhh with q paper III which he discusses
scarlet fever aud lis treatment:
1t always begins with a loss of appetite;
then fever and sore throat; then red patch
es; then recovery, or otherwise quick or
SLOW death, according 10 circumstances.
To arrest its course and to prevent its raw
ages, medicine and manpula.iors Gd It'll
tUm have been tried il vain; for more chill
dren die of scarle. fever now than one
thousand years ago. But why? Because
nothing, absolutely nothing. is as vet known
Us TO what scarlet fever is; and what is still
worse. there was, until recently, no need
felt Of such knowledge.
1t is as unnecessary for child to die OF
the scarlet fever Us il is that 1t should be
blind with cataract. Let US see. At any
time before the d, has finished It's inet-
tectual struggle we are able to help it, not
by wond, rful medicines but by the knowl-
edge Of anatomy, and the application OF
common sense. We consult ihe sympaihet
ic nerve and do what il commands Us to do.
We must give this child sal, when it wants
it; we must give it acid when it has fever
and anXiously Graves it-not vinegar, but
lemon juice, becau e the first coagu!ates al
bumen, the latter does not, on account ci
the surplus OF oxygen which it cnntains.-
To initiate the soothing nucus in the intes
tines, which is now wanting, and to give
some respiratory food at the same time, We
add gum arabic. To restore and relieve
the injured nerve, we apply moist warmth.
In practice We can iutil all this with the
following simple inanipula,ious: Cudress
the child and bring it to bed at the very
first signs OF sickness. Give 1t, il II has al
ready fever, nothing but sourish warm lem
onade. with some gum arabic i'll it. Then
cover It's add, men with dry tlanne. Take
wcll-iolied bed sheet, aud put ii in bollHg
hot water: wiring il out dry by means Of
dry towels, and put this over the flannel on
the oh Ids abdomen. Then cover the whole
and wait. The hot cloth will perhaps re-
quire repeated heat. According to the Sc
verify Of the case, ana lis stage Of progress.
perspira;ica viii commence III the child
in from ten minutes to two hours. The
child then is saved; il soon falls 10 sleep -
Soon after the child awakes il shows slight
symptoms of returning inclination for food
help its bowels, if necessary, with injections
of oil, soap aud water, and lis recovery will
be as steady rs the growth Of a green house
plant, if well treated. OF coarse, If the
child WAS already dying. nothing could save
it, or il it has already etiusions ia the lining
of the heart or brain, it is much better that
il should die. But if the above is applied
in due time, under the eyes and direction Of
competent physician, | will guarantee
that not one in hundred children will die
OF scarlet fever. | know this will starte
some oi my readers, especially those who
have lost children already, bu, shall go
still further | maintain that child will
never get scarlet fever if properly treated.
If child has correctly mixed blood, it viii
not catch the disorder if put ih bed with u
sick child. This is still more startling, bu,
nothing is easier ofproof. The same is al
so true of whooping cough, cholera inian-
tum, etc. refer TO Professor Won Me
meyers treatment of whooping cough; it
consists Of equal temperature III u room of
IS degrees, and the regulation of appropri-
ate digestion. He warrants, by following
this simple course, every case of whooping
cough to disappear in three weeks. | think
even this could be shortened. Lemon juice.
salt gum arabic and heat are all that is re-
CURED in cholera iniantum-only the res
toration of digestion is here more difficult
on account of the intestinal Innings being
injured directly.