Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1873-07-16
RFpI.Y az DR. WINSTON.

or contagious. shall not stop to discuss
these points. It made it5 appearance here
without any prevalent form of sickness. 1t
is true the season was peculiar, and there
was some tendency to bowel complaints.
The cause Of cholera has been very
thoroughly investigated without coming to
any saIisfs Glory conclusion. Speculations
upon this point have been numerous. II
has been siderea', telluric, magnetic, elect
i've, missmatic; auimaicqla or fuugops;
perhaps, after all, a vegetable parasite. rs
pecially may this idea be the more plausible
Ss,.c- Izte patnaIogl;si il75Ss.s;!ss:atlons by
Virchow, COnheim, and others, have shown
the vegetable parasitic origen of py@mis and
septicaemia.
1t commenced its first grand marel In
1917, making It's appearance Suddenly at
Calcutta, where it ragged more than year.
Since that time 1t has again and again Wis
tied most Of the important cities Of the CIV
ilized World, usually pursuing the track OF
Of commerce. Ii England the mortality Is
put 1t 3o 5 per cent. of those attacked. In
Russia, where it RACES, az st. Petersburg,
in mid winter, the mortality was $50 per
cent. In Paris the deaths were 40 per
cent. More than one half the deaths occur
within twenty four hours, the danger being
less the longer the patient lives.
The present visitation came, as it did in
1866, by ship to New Orleans, and thence
up The river to Nashville. II made its ap-
pearar c. about the first of June, and vas
founded upon such malarisl constitution
of the atmosphere and the rsople, rs clttsed
our physicians TO doubt it true character.
A short time, howeYer, and the large nun
Ter of cases, occurring so RAPIDLY, soon sat
isfied all Of its true epidemic nature. its
unexpected appearance in our midst caused
unusual alarm, The people flying in all di-
rGctiOns.
This is the fifth visitation CT cholera
which have witnessed. In fact, l have
| been in the very midst of it on all these oc-
casions. From close study of its nature,
mode of propagation and treatment have
| been led 10 the following conclusions:
l. 1t is foreign-an endemic for centur-
| les on the banks of the Ganges. z. 1t is
portable. 3. It always gives notice of
| It's Spproach. 4. 1t is dllgdys preceded
by PremOnitOyy symptoms, sick stomach, or
| Loose bowels, in the great majority Of tie
cases by the latter, which are painless. ).
| All the people, by prudent living, may
avoid the dis Sse. 6. Any person assailed
by the preUCBitory symptoms may avoid the
full attack By laying down and keeping
s,ill-espfcially if some simple anodyne lie
taken. Z. The morbid cause acts principally
upon the blood, causing yeritsble fJrmeD-
tation Of it, whereby it is altered III its
relationship and constituency; the serum
becoming aerid is poured into the elem entsry
tract, profoundly irritating the mucus
membrane and causing q complete exfo ID
ton of the cIethe!ium. g. II is veritable
Eemorrhage by which the patent is re-
ducad to cCllarse, the solid constituents Of
the blood being left Ia such an iDspisatCd
state as that it can no longer enter the
capilsry system. 8 Death follows for the
want 0 animal heat, which cannot be pro
duced except by interssicial action, or COZ
burton.
might write lengh!ily upon all these
points, but viii not DO 50 now. | come at
once to speak of its
PREVENTION.
Can this be dore? | affirm that it may.
If it were not for this fact cholera would
be substantially the most dreadful of al.
scourges. If every family would establish
a strict police, call the roll three times daily,
observe the rules Of personal cleanliness,
sec that sli filthy places were cleansed or
disiy fected, eat aud drink prudently, keep
regular hours, ard exercise moderately,
cholera could not be developed in its active
form. [ affirm further that if under
such circumstances the premonitory symp-
toms should occur, and which l do not
deny, them, snd in that case, if the party
shall be required 10 lay down and keep still
no cholera IN its full ia, ure can be develop
ID ha orlt-orIv ko.l.rvT bT,Y hcf--
hes the power OF excreting the morbid
cause of cHoIera, and would agree TO in
sure any number of person if they would
observe the above rules. This is fact Of
great consequences and ought 10 be insisted
upon at each visitation of this dreadful
scourge. It should be plscarded and posted
upon the door of every dwelling. AGd If
any member Ct 8 family should at such
time say lam sick require him at once to
lay down and stay there until he shall say
| am well. Tie materies mOrbi of many
diseases may not be Stunned or turned aside.
We cannot shun mease's smallpox or scsr-
let fever, but we may avoid cholera in the
way 10 which l have now ref rred.
Suppose; however, the diseases cannot be
avoided, can it be successfully treated? l
affirm that it can.
TREATMENT
Cholera consists in three prominent
stages-the premOnitory, explosive and col
lapse. In the premonitory stage, which
consists mainly Of loose bowels, all that is
necessary is 20 require the patient to lay
down and keep still, give twenty drops of
laudanum and SIS much spirits camphcr, q
little iced toddy with light diet. If the
symptoms do not at once abste, give ten
grains OF C2lomrI, with half grain of OPT
UNI, and repeat every six hours until the
stools are bilious. Many Of these cases
will require, in addition, for permanent re-
lief, after the billions secretion has been eS-
tab'ished, the use of quiniue in four grain
doses every four hours, for several days.
Some of them are prone to run into disr-
rtu1, or dyseutery which will require the
usual remedies in such cases.
The explosive stage which is ushered in
by active puFgiug ard more OF lees vomiting
of Iicewater, tegeiher with frequent pulse,
cool skin, and In many Instances crsmping,
should be actively treated with mercury,
opium, blisters of canthardes, sinspisms Of
mustard, astriogents by the reclum and
stomach, bottles Of hot water, cracked ice,
icewater, icet tea, iced brandy or wine;
with great qnietude, the avoidance of all
fatigue, together i ilh rubbing with chic
rofOrm, and It's inhalation for the cramps.
Thu above constitutes the line of treatment,
varied 10 suit peculiar csses which after
long experience l have found 10 be most
elitctual.
But TO be more explicit. Mercury is the
great remedy, and if the case is seen in
time for It's appropriation, will always save
the patient. As TO the form of it, the guam
tity and times, as well as tha mode of ad-
miDistratioD, there may be a difference Of
opinion. a late distinguished writer p c.
fors the sulphide; most practitioners prefer
calomel or protochloride. One of our ables5
physicians prefers small doses-the fourth
or twelfth Of grain st short intervals. 1
am in the habit Of using calomel in decided
doses every hour in violent cases, or every
four hours in the milder, until three or four
portions have been taken. II there is Sex
stomach, with vomiting, 1 prefer to give
it floating upon tablespoonful of
water, in eight or Ten grain
doses, with twenty drops of laudanum, or
a half grain Of opium. If there be no Vom-