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

Ihe following Is from Il paper on "The
Causes of Typhoid Fever in Massachu-
setts," published in the second annual
report Of thesta board of health of Mas
sacbusctts:.
\ young butcher, between twenty and
thirty, years of age, was attacked with
typhoid fever. He was Il bachelor, and
occupied good sized chamber, lighted
by two windows and having an open fire
place.
? The fever was mild, with daily febrile
ccIebration, hot skin, thirst, slight diar-
rhea and rose spots, with no violent
drugs. He was bathcd two or three
times day with tepid wateran was
allowed water freely, iced or not, accord
ing to his taste. The covering Of his
body was regulated by his sensations. a
slight wood fire, just enough to insure
ventilation, was kept in the fireplace,
and one of the windows was raised q
little.
AS soon us his family, who lived III the
country, heard of his illness, two of them,
Il maiden aunt and sister, came to the
city TO take care of him. They reached
thehouse one afternoon just after my visit
| My patient was as described above, COM
fortably sick, with pulse about eighty,
and without delirium. They were
frightened to find their relative, who
was sick with typhoid fever, SO poorly
cared for. Guided by their theory of
the proper treatment Of fever, they pro-
| cccded without informing me, to reform
| matters.
They pinned blanket over each win
dow, 80 rs to cxclude. the light, and
closed the open window; they closed the
| chimney with Il fireboard and set up an
| air-tight stove, in which they made a
| fire. In order to make him sweat he was
| packed in. blankets and hot herb tea was
given him.
When called the next day / found
his room dark and filled with hot foul
atmosphere. The odor was of that Of
fensivc sort that sick chambers are too
often charged with. But the great change
was i'll the sick man: whom | had left so
comfortable the day before. He was
wrapped in blankets, his skin was dry his
lips cracked, his eyes wild, his pulse l20,
and he WAS SO restless and dclirious that
it was all his attendants could do to keep
| him in bed. .I
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 as freely as he
chose, and taking no medicine. These
evils She had endeavored to remedy, but
in spite of all her efforts he had rapidly
grown worse.
The physician states his conversation
with the aunt, and his refusal to continue
i'll charge unless everything was restored
as it had been on her arrival. The win
dows were opened, theastove was removed
a fire made in the chimney and the
blankets were taken from the patient. He
goes on to say:
| gave the sick man tumbler of va
ter, which he drank ASST he were qucncll-
| ing IN internal fire. All this they bore
| i'll silence, but when I called for a large
tub, and made preparation for bath,
| they demonstrated, and declared tia, ), a
cold bath would kill him. demonstrates,
however, were unavailing, and my pa
| ticnt got a cocl efftsion by pouring va
| ter all over him. He was then put to
bed, tightly covered, and soon went to
sleep. BY night, his condition had greatly
improved, and the next day, twcnty-four
| hours later, his fever assumed its pre-
vious mild type, his pulse about eighty
and his head tOlerably clear. He made Il
| satisfactory convalescent.
| The case Just related is a fair specimen
Ola common malpractice, occurring every
| day, but escaping notice because the cf-
tects of carbonic acid poisoning arc not
| brought out in bold relief.