The Morristown gazette. [volume] (Morristown, Tenn.) 1867-1920, 1873-07-23

each cLOEb " bOHllts Will q VINE
glass of cold water. OF course, il
the action of the bowels or stomach
were frequent, the plan would be
modified, would not be used SO of
ten. Next comes the free use Of ice
and iceWater. No matter if the pa
tent vomits, let him have it. Let
him also have cold brandy or whisky,
or champagne, or other wine if the
stomach does not revolt. The fore
going is the line of treatment, specif-
cally. which 1 have found most
effectual. I have tried all the RENE
dies from TRANSMISSION up, and if this
course does not save the patient, he
must die.
The next is the stage Of collapse.
Here there is an entire failure of
the circulation not for the want of
power in the heart to force the blood
into the arterial radicles, but because
having lost its serum it is too inspir-
ated to enter. The tongue. at it's tip
especially, is cold, a true sign of
threatened collapse. The skin is icy
cold and, in most instances, believed
with clammy sweat and discharges in
voluntary. The eyes are closed, the
intellect paralyzed, the voice is
husky, in many instances almost
lost, thirst intense with great rest
lessness until near the close, when
death terminates the scene, in most
cases without struggle. In this
stage medicine proper is out of the
question. The use of sinapisms,
hot rocks, bottles, blankets, rubbing,
with pepper or otherwise, are not
only useless but injurious. 1t wastes
the remaining vital power, and can
not restore the circulation or ami
NAL heat, and for obvious reasons.
The human body is.a non-conductor
of heat. Consequently it cannot be
carried within. 1t can only be pro-
duced by interchange of matter. In
other words interstitial action or
combustion must be established
And this cannot be done because the
blood cannot enter the capillary sys-
tenn. The red corpurscles entering
but partially, and in an altered con-
dition, the capillary vessels of the
lungs cannot secure a suficiency of
oxygen to continue it's vitality or to
fit it for the purposes of life. The
consequence is that the animal heat
is gradually reduced below the stan
dard necessary for the life of warm
blooded animals.
The treatment of this stage con-
sists in means best adapted to main
tain and improve the vital power. so
that more, or new blood, may be elab-
For this purpose maintain
perfect quietude. Give freely crush
ed ice with brandy or wine, beef tea,
soups, Cruel, iced milk with one
fourth lime water. AS blood is made
invite it. to the surface by dry heat,
and now by friction. 1t has been
proposed in this stage to resort to
of blood, or fluid SINH
lar to serum. In fact the experiment
has often been made but without
benefit. For although the blood may
be rendered in this way sufficiently
fluid to enter the capilaries, yet
having no proper vitality it could
not set up the interstitial to the pro-
luction of animal heat. These meas
lres have therefore, been long since
abandoned by sensible men. The
cold douche has been resorted to
with no better result though at first
highly extolled. Hypodermic injec-
lions of morphine and quinine have
also been used with advantage &C
to the report OF some prac-
,itionere. In my hands the use of
has seemed to do some
good, as also has FIVE grains of qui-
nine, thus used every two hours.
These measures deserve still further
attention. It might be well also to
Try calomel in this way, as it has re-
GENTLY been used benefcially in syph-
lis. Two or three grains might be
used in glycerine and water and in
ected every two hours, or oftener,
n violent cases. The tincture of can
,harides, in half dram doses, might
also be used every hour until stran-
curry has been produced. reported.
n 1849, cases which were recovered
rom collapse by this remedy, togeth-
Or with the free use of nutriment.
1 have thus indicated the general
inc of treatment which | have found
most beneficial in the prevention and
cure of cholera in its different
stages. Allow me, however, a few
more general remarks.
When cholera is about to invade a
place, immediate steps should be
,aken, at whatever cost, to cleanse
and thoroughly disinfect. Every
family should be supplied with a
bulletin from the constituted author
ties, setting forth, in short, the best
means of avoiding the disease. to-