The Pulaski citizen. [volume] (Pulaski, Tenn.) 1866-current, 1877-03-01
Diphtheria and Scarlet Fever.

Diphtheria and Scarlet Fever.
DR.. George d. Beebe, quite sue.
cessful physician of Chicago, has
made investigations and expert
ments which have led him to con-
clude that diphtheria and scarlet
fever are the result of living organ
isms in the blood, and that even
erysipelas and child bed fever are
due to septic poison. And he has
discovered that, both in the treat
ment of these diseases and as pre-
vention of epidemic contagion, the
sulpho-carbolate of soda is com
pletely efficacious. He says, as the
result of numerous experiments,
that the salt administered to chill
dren breathing an atmosphere load.
ed with scarlet fever or diptheretic
contagion acts as an absolute pre-
ventiye; and given when either OF
these diseses has developed an
attack, within few hours the re.
naming symptoms speedily fade
out into health. His experiments
in erysipelas and puerperal fever
have demonstrated its curative effi-
cheney. 1t kills the poisonous par
asitic growth.
DR.. Beebe has disinterestedly an
nonnced that the remedy he finds so
efficaclous is merely carbolic acid
in combination with the sulphite OF
soda, which reduces the objectiona-
bic qualities of the acid to their
minimum while all it's desirable
properties are retained. Should
further experiments confirm it's eff
cacy it will he regarded as a most
important victory of science over
some of the worst enemies of the
human life. His announcement in
the Chicago Tribune led to run on
the druggists for sulpo carbolate
of soda and a series of very bi tier
attacks on him in the papers for
claiming to have discovered that the
whole profession knew all about
twenty years ago, to which he spir-
itedly retorts, "Why, if you knew
all about it, did you not apply the
new remedy to check the terrible
ravages OF the scarlet-fever during
the autumn and winterT' The con-
troyersy is more spirited than eddi
flying, but it serves to advertise a
possible simple remedy for one of
the worst scourges of modern life.
Another treatment for scarlet fe-
yer is thus described by DR.. Henry
Pigeon, prominent English physi-
clan in the London Lancet: Themar-
velous success which has attend
ed my treatment of scarlet fever
by sulphur induces me to let my
medical brethren know of my plan,
so that they may be able to apply
the same remedy without delay. All
the cases in which / used it were
very well marked, and the eperder-
mis- on the arms in each case came
away like the skin of snake. The
following was the exact treatment
followed in each case: Thorough
ly annoint the patient twice daily
with sulphur ointment; give five or
ten grains of sulphur il little jam
three times a day. Sufficient sui
phur was burned, twice daily (on
Goals on shovel). to fill the room
with the fumes, and, of course, was
thoroughly inhaled by the patient.
Under this mode of treatment each
case improved Immediately, and none
were over eight days in making
complete recovery, and ! firmly be-
lieve in each it was prevented from
spreading by the treatment adopted.
One case was in q large school.
Having had large experience in
scarlet fever last year and this, /
feel some confidence in my own
judgement, and L am of opinion that
the very mildest cases L ever saw
do not do half so well as bad cases
do by the sulphur treatment, and as
far as L can judge sulphur is as
near a specific for scarlet fever as
possible"