The weekly Louisianian., 1872-12-07

Ew ORLEANS, LOU
than in severe congestions of Il
liver when they occur suddenly.
It is the common practice Of al1<
pathic physicians to give morphin
or other narcotic or stupefyin
medicine in congestion Of the lung
The drug allays. the cough, lessen
the pain, and prevents expectora
ton. But SO much the worse fo
the patient, The cough and expec
toration are processes by which tn
lungs free themselves. To suppress
them is to aggravate the congestion
BY causing the fluids TO accumulat
in the lungs. No treatment can b.
worse. That this was the fata
error in the case of Mr.. Seward
seems clear enough from the testi
mony, as published in the New Yorl
Sun of October ~.
Mr.. Seward was riding out a'
usual, and in comfortable health
on Saturday. In the evening, HI
had a chill, with violent coughing
These symptoms indicated conges'
ton of the liver. DR.. Dimon was
called, and prescribed, but did moi
regard the case as serious. No,
was it. We are not told what med
iciae the patient took, but he passed
a restless night with fever and deli
rum. Why delirium? Children
are sometimes delirious in the hot
stage Of any febrile paroxysm, but
aged persons seldom, and never un-
der the circumstances of Mr.. Sew
ards case, independent of medica-
ton. We presume the delirium was
the effect of the usual medicine
morphine. =
The next day was passed COM
fortably. The ensuing day (Mon-
day. he attended to business as
usual. At 10 P. II. he had another
chill with cough. DR.. Dimon again
prescribed, and the patient was
" extremely nervous" Why these
symptoms, af1er the medicine, unless
the medicine produced them?
Mark they did not exist before the
doctor prescribed. Chille and fever
do not cause extreme restlessness
and nervousness in such persons,
they may cause much
heat, pain and suffering. At2A.M.
The patient arose, and walked about
until 8 A. M, when he fell into re-
freshing sleep. He had walked the
effects Of the medicine of, and then
be could rest; after which he took
bis usual breakfast. Certainly there
was nothing serious thus far except
The medicine.
On Tuesday he visited his pastor,
md attended to business, until 10
P. M. On Wednesday he spent the
lay, as usual, in riding out and
working on the manuscript of his
forthcoming work "a Voyage
Around the World) until 10 P. NJ;
,ut during the night he was restless
gain and could not sleep. Why
ve are left in conjecture, as nothing
8 said about medicine. But as DR.. |
)imon attended him constantly, |
be presumption must be that the
loses were increased to the extent
+ inducing the otherwise unac-
ountable symptoms; for, as already
these symptoms have no
usiness in the case independent of
1edication.
On Thursday at 10 A. M. the pa
lent was suffering Of low fever (the
ccount says ".high fever" but it
leans severe), with the pulse ITO.
his fever and this pulse were the
fects of stimulation. Nothing else
yer changes the type Of tertian in
'rmittent to remittent or continued.
nd now, for the first time, we are
Id precisely what the medicines
ere. Hitherto we have had to as
'rtain them by the symptoms
leir effects. "The doctor admin
tered efficient doses Of quinine,
uriate Of ammonia preceded by q
lid bilious laxative" The whole
ystery is solved, and we know why
q patient died.