The New York herald., 1874-07-13
A French Professor on Hydrophobic
Treatment.

NEW YORK, July IL, 1874.
To THE EDITOR OF THE HERALD:-
The question OF hydrophobia, which you have so
properly handled IN the last numbers OF your valu-
able paper, 0bliges every citizen TO bring to you
the little of useful knowledge he believes he has.
1t is Of no use 70 look retrospectvely on many
more or less interesting dissertations which have
failed to bring any really practical result whatever.
That hydrophobia Is spontaneous or caused by
poisoning that the patient dies from fear under
the direct influence OF q special poison, 1t does
nothing for the benefit OF mankind, since death is
almost infalibe in true case OF hydrophobia.
Nothing more overwhelming than fact. The hy-
drophobic poison is deposited locally in given
point OF our organism. Blood Is first timpregnated; !;
the nervous system is invaded later; but II is OBJ
viously by the nervous system tnat hydropnoDla
causes death.
Is 1t POSSIBLE to prevent death from hydropho-
bia? mean with patients eyincng the nervous
convulsions occurring In the last stage OF the dis
ease. Yes; most assuredly. Here is the modus
TIciendi:-
l. fifty grammes extract OF belladonna plaster
Is applied on the region OF the larynx.
2. plaster exactly the same Is put upon the
nape OF the neck, and successively two new plas-
ters along the spinal cord TO the sacrum.
3. These plasters are removed alter six hours,
and new ones applied If necessary.
4. dose OF extract OF belladonna, sur1cient 10
produce in man in good health a sensation OF
| construction and strangulation OF the throat, Is
gwen to the patient That dose OF extract of bel
| ladonna, which Is five cenugrammes Tor an adult,
be given under the shape OF pill dissolved, II
| necessary, in teaspoonlul OF water, and intro
| duced into the stomach with the rubber tube. In
| case at the beginning OF the medication the
swallowing would be impossible, the extract OF
beladonna dissolved in a spoonful OF water, should
! be given In injection through the rectum. That
same dose OF five centigrammes Of extract OF Del-
ladonna must be given every five minutes TIL the
SKIN begins TO get red. The red tint OF the skin
| the sure proof that beadonna Is becoming poison
ousi then IT is necessary to stop and TO give again
the beladonna pill at longer intervais-or instance
| twenty or thirty minutes apart, and only II the
spasmodic symptoms show themselves again.
One viii object tnat belladonna has been very
| often administered TO hydrophobic patients and
without the least success. That is not fail
trial has never been gwen TO belladonna in cast
OF hydrophobia. The natural agents used by tht
physician are acting successfully, precisely OWNS
to the peculiar process OF using and administernI
them. The writer OF this has seen many time
uuinlne unable 70 cure fever and ague In certail
hands and invariably successful In other hands.
Hypodermic injections with atr0pine and NOR
phine have been used on O man who recently dlet
OF hydrophobia. I can furnish the proof tina
people poisoned by belladonna nave been cured b
preparations OF opium and particularly laudanun
and Uce pers0.
few days ago DR.. scudder gave many excel
Aleat saggesN2D* W not speak oi We WasAs