Eaton weekly Democrat. [volume] (Eaton, Ohio) 1866-1875, 1871-12-14
ASiatic Cholera.

Dr. y Onn murray, the inspector G6n
eral of Indian Hospitals, and an author
ity on the subject of cholera, has com
municated to one of the English jour.
nails an important paper on this
disease, from which we extract the fol
lowing:
at is our duty to assist nature and
(the first symptoms) the poison is
thrown off without any violent or very
prominent symptoms by the natural
functions of the system. Our task here
is to support the strength, avoid indi-
gestible food and depressing causes.
The only medicine that 1 have found
useful in this stage is little quinine
every day. The subsequent indications
of the treatment are to remove the alb.
normal symptoms as they appear, of
which the most early is diarrhea. The
first indication is to check this, and re-
store the case to the stage of maazaise !;
then remove the cause, and restore the
natural secretions. Irritating or indi-
gestible food in the bowels is the most
frequent cause of diarrhea; and should
this not previously have been dis
charged in the excavations, it should be
removed, and recurrence of the loose
ness guarded against, as l have always
found it the most exciting cause of col
lapse. 1 have found this best carried
out by combination of opium with
carminatives, in the form of cholera
pills composed of one grain of opium,
two of black pepper, and thr, e of assa-
foetida 1t appears to check the loose
ness and to stimulate the secretions.
This pill does no harm if needlessly ad-
ministered. 1t should be repeated if
the looseness continue. 1t will cure in
most cases, and in all restrain the
symptoms until regular medical advice
can be procured. This is a most i'm
portant point in the use of this simple
remedy. 1t may be distributed to every
house, and be available in a few min
utes, whereas the delay of few hours
may allow the disease to advance be-
yond control. I know no better RENE
dy for this stage. These pills have been
distributed in tens of thousands in the
towns and villages of India with most
satisfactory results. Some surgeons
prefer red to black pepper, and others
add camphor to the opium and assa-
fetida, and report favorably of the COM
bination. They are distributed in the
and are placed in the
hands of the police in India. In this
country similar arrangements might be
made.
In collapse, our power is limited by
the circumstance that the vital organs
are insensible to the ordinary action of
medicines. Experience shows that
opium, astringents and alcohol lie inert
in the collapsed stomach, though these
are the ordinary remedies fer pain,
looseness and debility. 1t is also my
experience that the free use of these
at this stage causes death,
either by preventing reaction, or by
causing local complications should reac-
ton appear.
"There is another cause of death
which is not generally understood, but
which it is not always in the power of
all sufferers or attendants on the sick
to check or prevent. I allude to the
extreme danger of assuming the erect
posture, or even sitting up in bed,
during the collapse or the earliest stages
of reaction. have seen, myself, and
have heard of many cases where fatal
syncope followed sitting up in bed or
rising to go to STOOL"