New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1875-09-12

Stuhll U1tttb u lc6 no lTtuDtUTlV rs Qe-
siTei-thst is, after the hot bath. IL causes
The respiration to flow freely be ides pro-
iuciug it in much less time than when hot
trinks are resOrted to, 1t is, moreover, in
initely more grateful TO the patient aud
is q much more rational mode of treating
and subduing Inflammation, in which state
The stomach Is known to be. IL is also well
known to be acceptable in all f.vera, and TO
have tendency to alleviate then: it like
wise sOothes the irritability of the stomach
and lies II ndeDcy to check bemorrhage
and vomiting, while warm drinks frequently
sicken, produce vomiting, and are not agree
able to the patient and, l am confident, are
the most invariabie cause of the patients
attempting to rise and go out into the air
What does he almost invariably ate mpt to
do under this treatment To rise and rush
to the water pitcher or ice, If there is any in
the house; or, if he be delirious, to seek to
reach the bay or any other water that can
be found. have never had patient at
tempt to get OFT of bed since, after the
second case, in 1867, l adopted this treat
ment, and they do not become delirious
Though they complain bitterly of lying so
long in bed aud ask t. have their clothing
changed, never allowed it till the eighth
day, and then it must be done carefully.
with all the doors closed, and the fresh
clothing must be carefully dried. permit
them to turn freely in the bed, providing
the covering ia kept on, and the perspra
ton is kept freely flowing, which is usually
the case when the patient is we'll wrapped
up and supplied with ice water. The patient
is g zen no food while the fever is on. and in
facr, seldom has any inclination for it, Ice
water sutfices, and afterward little lemon
AIDE, mint water, or claret sangaree, all of
them iced, are agreeable or else little tea
and soda cracker may be given. give the
latter because it ia light and SO dry that
they seldom eat much of it. On the fourth
or fifth day light chicken soup may be given,
and by degrees stronger soup and lighter
diet, as soft boiled eggs, etc. l would dwell
particularly ON the necessity of keeping the
patient IN a reeumbent position for at least
seven or eight days, the Precipitation freely
flowing for three days, and u gentle sweat
ing kept up for two more or longer, as the
case may require, and in no case to allow it
to be suddenly checked, and to see that the
urine is passed freely, and that the bowels
are open. On the seventh or eighth day, it
the weather be favorable, open one of the
southern doors or Windows, and afterward,'
by degrees, the others. seeing that the pa
tient is not in draught. On The seventh,
eighth, ninth or tenth day, as the case may
be-, the patient, if otherwise doing we'll, is
allowed to sit up. | usually visit him or
her for day or 80 ltnger, then dismiss
the case. A tonic OF quinine and iron is
given after some of those cases, but the
former is not prescribed at nny time, and
calomel not ut all. will also state that it
is important to relieve the patients mind
of ali anexiety; to assure him of the very
prob bic favorable termination of the
disease, which will result On strict adherence
to directions, and to impress the same on
his relatives and attendants. almost in
variably repeated the directions every time
l called, aud warned the parties that,
although they seemed tritiing, they were,
in reality, most important and that every.
thing depended on their strict observation.
The doctor should sit down and talk to
the sick person and his friends, and exhibit
come frightened. l usually tell them,
You are dong very well, and l shall
almost certainly have you up in week or
eight days, if you will lie quietly and do
what you are told" j, however, never
trust them, but have always some enc with
them-a relative. if possible, as they are the
best and most reliable nurses. Friends are
too apt to consult their own comfort instead
of the patients wealtare, and to open the
doors and windows, and to indulge in all
sorts of imprudent gossip, in stage whis-
pers to each other, concerning the pro-
gress of the epidemic, the laet case of
vom t. and the similarity of symptoms be-
tween some person who has just died and
the one they are nursing. And if you re-
monstrate with them, they answer: oh,
he can't be frightened. You don't know
him, Doctor" Then tney are frequently
oficiOus. and as soon as your back is turned,
il you have prescribed cold drinks, they
substitute hot lemonade, because some other
d0ctOr-a friend OF theirs-uses them, and
perhaps throw open all the doors and win
dows; but when you return, they are on the
cold drinks az ain, and everything is fixed
your way. 1t Is important to trust, if possi-
lu u Il
pressing influence of a death in the same
apartment is terrible.
In hospital l remove very bad cases, but
not all, into separate ward, for the above
has allusi0n almost entirely to private prac-
tice. The cases 10 hospital are usually of
worse type, the surrounding circumstances
tending to make them 80. They are soldiers,
sailors and paupers, and commonly, though
not always, drunkards, and come in in the
second stage, with little or no history, or in
state of congestion aud comatose. These
are the cases that swell the hospital NOR
tality, as they are generally past all human
aid. BY having number of small separate
wards for yellow fever patients, 80
that they. can be treated singly, and
by careful attention and Cheering them
up, think many might be saved who are
half the battle. and that lie why have de-
voted go much space to minutie. The pa
tient should never be told directly that he
has yellow fever. usually say, swell, you
have some fever, but it you follow direc-
tions all will 60 well, etc.; and being asked
by some if they had dengue, l replied,
well, yes, it will pass for that" and then
privately told the relations or nurses to re-
collect that the patients had dengue Just go
long as they lay there and follow directions,
but if they got up, or committed any other
imprudenoe, it would instantly become
yellow fever, and death be the probable re-
suit. This is usually effectual.