Dodgeville chronicle. [volume] (Dodgeville, Wis.) 1862-current, 1873-04-18
A New Mode Of Treating Dyspepsia.

The first number of the "Archives of
| Science and Practical Medicine" the new
monthly edited by DR.. Brown-Sequard,
| and published by the Lippincotts, con-
tains, among other interesting articles, one
in which the editor describes novel mode
of treatment which he tried with perfect
success in very bad case of dyspepsia in
| 1851, and which has since been tested,
with more or less satisfactory results, in
} many cases of dyspepsia, chlorosis and
an@mia. The following is an extract
from the account of the first case:
After a few days, finding that he had
not improved, [ decided to try radical
change of his ailments, as regards the
quantity offood to be taken at a time. In
stead Of three meals day, I made him
take sixty or more. Every twelve or fiji
| teen minutes he took two or three mouth
fuls of solid food, chiefly meat and bread.
He drank a little less than Wine-glass of
Bordeaux wine and water every thirty or
| forty minutes. On the very first day this
method of alimentation was begun, his
digestive trouble disappeared, and within
week he was so well that he returned to
Paris. x
He continued the same mode of ali
mentation for almost three weeks, and
then gradually diminished the number of
his homeopathic meals, and increased the
amount taken at each Of them, until il
about eight or ten days he came to eat
only three times day, and full meal at
each time.
The following paragraphs will serve to
give the reader a clearer idea Of the treat
ment commended
The plan consists in giving but very
little of the solid or fluid food or any
kind of drink at a time, and giving these
things at regular intervals Of from ten to
twenty or thirty minutes. All sorts of
food may be taken in this way, but during
the short period when such trial is made,
it is obvious that the fancies of the pa
tients are to be laid aside, and that nour-
ishing food, such as roasted or broiled
meat and especially beef, mutton, eggs,
well-baked bread, and milk, with butter
and cheese, and very moderate quantity
of vegetables and fruit, ought to consti-
tute the dietary of the patients we try to
relieve. This plan should be pursued two
or three weeks, after which the patient
should gradually return to the ordinary
system of eating three times day.
The most varied diet as regards the kind
of food can be followed under this plan as
well as when one has only two or three
L1CtlS - udy' IHO Ouly dOoOlutCly CooCA-
tial points are, that the amount Of food
taken every ten, fifteen, twenty or thirty
minutes be very small from one to four
mouthfuls) and the quantity of solid food
in day from thirty-two to forty ounces,
or little less when, instead of water, the
patient drinks beef tea or milk.
Dr. Brown-Sequard considers that the
facts observed under this treatment con-
firm "the view that we are naturally or
ganized, like most if not all animals, to
eat frequently, and not, as we do, two,
three or four times day." and that 'func-
tional dyspepsia, when once it has begun
never mind by what causeG is kept up or
increased by distension of the walls of the
stomach" 1t might be supposed that
there would be trouble from the distension
of the stomach on the return of the ordi-
nary system of meals, after several weeks
of the treatment described, but in no case
has he found this to occur-Boston Jour
nal Of Chemistry.