The free citizen. (Orangeburg, S.C.) 1874-1876, 1875-11-13
ThC PllHSiriull

Causes of Typhoid Fever i'm Mass,ch,r-
| sctts, published i'll the second annual
| report of the state board of health of Mas
| sachuSctts:
young butcher, between twenty aud
thirty years of age, w:ts attacked with
! typhoid fever. He was Il bachelor, and
occupied Il good sized chamber, lighted
by two windows, and having an open fire
place.
The fever was mild, with daily icbrile
ccrcbration, hot skin, thirst, Slight dar-
rhca and rose spots, with no violent
symptoms. There was no inclination for
drugs. He was bathcd two or three
times Il day with tcpid water and was
| allowed water freely, iced or not, accord
ing To his taste. The covering of his
body WAS regulated by his sensations \
slight wood fire, Just enough to insure
ventilation, WAS kept in the fire place,
and one of the windows was raised Il
| little
a. soon as his family, who lived in the
country, heard of his illness, two of them,
Il maiden aunt and Il sister, came to the
city to take care of him. They reached
lcirousc one ;,iicr,ruui just after my visit
My patient was, aS described above, com
torably sick, with a pulse about eighty,
|
| frightened t. find their relative, who
was sick with typhoid fever, 50 poorly
cared for. Guided by their theory Of
the proper treatment Of fever, they pro-
ccchcd without informing me, to reform
| matters
They pinned :, blanket over each win
| dow, ;" rs to exclude the light, and
closed the open window; they closed the
chimney with Il tirchoard and set up an
:llr-tight stove, in which they made Il
| fire. In order to make him sweat he was
packed in blankets AID hot herb tea WAS
given him.
When called tic next day | found
his room dark and filled with hot foul
atmosphere. The odor was of that OF
trnsivc sort that sick chambers are too
often charged with. But the great change
WAS in the sick man. whom had left 50
comfortable the day before. He was
wrapped in blankets his skin was dry his
lips cracked, his eyes wild, his pulse 10
and he WAS SO restless and drIirous that
| it was all his attendants could do to keep
him in he'd.
His aunt said she came to nurse her
nephew, and had found him with open
windows, exposed to noise and currents
Of air, drinking cold water rs freely as he
chose, and taking no medicine These
evils She had cndcavorcd to remedy. but
in spite OF all her efforts hc had rapidly
grown worse.
| The physician states his conversation
with the aunt, and his refusal 10 continue
III charge unless everything was restored
:is II llad been on her arrival. The will
dowS We're opened, the stove WAS removed
Il fire made in the chimney and The
blankets were taken from the patient. He
goes on to say:
gave the sick man Il tumblcr Of va
| ter, which he drank as if he were uucich
| ing an internal fire. All this they bore
| in silcncr, but when ] called for Il large
tub and made preparation for bath.
| they demonstrated, and declared tha. Il
cold bath would kill him RrmonSi r:llt.cs.
| however, were unavailing, and my pi-
| ticnt got Il cool cfii,sion ny pouring v:l-
| ter all over him. He w;S then put to
~d tightly covered, aud soon wen, To
sleep. BY night, his condition had greatly
improved, and the next day, twcnty-toIr
| hours later, his fever assumed its pre-
vonS mild type his pulse about eighty
and his head tolcrahlv clear lie made Il
satisfactory convalc$crn,.
| The case .j,i>t related is Il fair specimen
Of Il common malpractice, occurringcvcrv
day, but escaping notice because tht ci-
! 'cctS Of carhonic acid poisoning are not
| brought ont in bold relief.