The Democratic advocate., 1873-07-05
Specific for Rheumatism.

A recent number Of the iScieatifc
An'erieon contains the following With
out intending to tresspass on the domain
of the physician, 1t may be well to give,
for the benefit Of all, some information
concerning the nature and treatment Of
this malady.
As it Is a constitutional disease, proper
diet and close attention to the general
health are of more benefit than local appli-
cations, which may be useful in exceptional
cases, but generally they give only tenn
porary relief, and often drive the pain
from one part Of the body to another. In
all cases Of this disease, the blood is in an
abnormal condition, and may be considered
to be poisoned; persons who live high
(which means, live ON rich and highly
nitrOgenized food are apt TO have this
disease in peculiar form, which is com
monty called gout, of which the chief
disease is in the joints. A lower mode Of
diet is then advisable Persons who live
low and get this disease by exposure, com
bined with over fatigue, are apt to suffer
from the 50 called chronic form chiefly
seated in the muscles, and in these cases,
the system may suffer from one or two
opposite causes, an excess of either alkali
or acid, which, when neutralized, ends the
disease. Hence the curious and formerly
unexplained fact that sometimes acid
treatment, as with lemon juice, and at
other times alkaline treatment as with
Rochelle salt, etc., has produced cure.
There is one very severe form of rheuma-
tism called acute or inAammatory, which is
most formidable disease, and which in
olden times was treated by blood letting.
This disease has the remarkable feature Of
suddenly leaving one part Of the body to
appear in another. If, by blood letting,
the heart receives sudden shock by the
withdrawal Of quantity of blood, the
malady is very apt to settle there and pro-
duce disease Of the heart, which is a yery
common cause ofdeath among persons who
have been treated for rheumatism by blood
letting. The latter operation relieves the
patient; but, considering the often fatal
results, it is now abandoned by all enlight-
ened physicians, and the treatment by
colchicum wine and opiates is used instead.
Besides the derivatives Of opium, morphine
and codeine, sal ammoniac has been often
praised as an effective remedy when others
failed; but perhaps these derive their
efficiency from their similarity to new
substance, derivatiye of opium and am
monia, which has recently been found as
effective a specific against rheumatism as
quinine is against fever and ague. This
substance is propylamin, 1t is volatile.
watery liquid, with strong odor of her.
ring pickle, and was found by DR.. Winck-
Ter in distilling watery extract Of errot
with potassa, also in distilling cod liver oil
with ammonia. But the most effective
way Of obtaining this substance Is that of
Wertheim, who prepared it by the decom-
position of narcotine and codeine by
alkalies. Its name is based on its chemi-
cal composition; it is o combination of the
third member of the hydrocarbon series
methyl, ethyl, proPyl, amyl, etc. with
derivative Of the ammonia (amidogen.
There is, however, still some doubt about
its true chemical composition, so that some
chemists suppose it to be trimethylamin; in
the mean time, its specific effect on most
forms of rheumatism has been established.
by taxing five drops in tablespoonful Of
peppermint water every two hours, the
pains usually abate after twelve doses.