, 1877-11-17

! EDIroR STATESMAN As this disease !
lust now raging with terrible fatality, in thi
| locality. and as the most absurd direction
| for treatment of the sufferers are being gwen
would like to call public attention to mod
of treatment which is attended with the hap
piest results. But first to speak of the dis
| ease itself:
As general thing the throat affection re
ceiyes the chief attention but il is really
not the disease itself, but only one of the re
suits of the disease Diphtheria is case o
blood poisoning, accompanied with high
fever, and it Is popularity OF the disease
that it seems to expend Its fury upon the
throat The symptoms OF the disease are
SO well known that they need not be minute
" partieularized here; but l may say that
the disease often commences very gradually.
with headache. nausea, and drowsiness, and
the neck is generally stiff some hours before
the throat gets sore then the tonsils and
inside of the throat become inhamed, and OF
dark color; the palate becomes swollen so
that the patient cannot swallow without
pain there is next seen on the throat ash
colored specks, which generally enlarge and
JOIN together, forming 4 false membrane of
the throat, which rapidly thicken, and, un-
less checked, eventually produces sufioca-
ton.
Now. as this membrane forms most rapid
ly when the fever is highest and seems to be
accelerated in its growth by the fever, the
first thing to be done Is to sliay the fever,
which can be done with more certainty and
rapidity by the proper use of water, than
with any other agent The patient should,
at the outset of the disease, be put into hot
sitz and foot bath, care bong taken to wet
the head with cold water before sitting the
patient in the bath, and while in the bath
the head must be kept cool by frequently
wet.ing cloth in cold water and laying it
on the head. If no bath tub is at hand o
common wash tub will do by raising one end
of it five or six inches, and placing bucket
outside and close to the lower end have the
water in the foot bath (the bucket) at 1907,
and in the hip bath 1.-THE wash tub at 9S !;
seat the patient In the tub with his feet in
the bucket, and surround him with pair of
blankets so as to keep in all the steam, draw
ing the blankets close around the neck, leav-
ing the head exposed, then gradually increase
the temperature of the baths, by carefully
raising one side of the blanket and pouring
Ill ScsiiulflS hdOCi ulppSl, NoAN
not to let any touch the patient then raise
the other side of the blanket and pour in
more hot water until the foot bath has been
raised to ll0R and the sitz bath to lOSI !;
after he has been in the bath l5 or 20 min
utes, lower the temperature of the baths I'D
degrees, and continue the bath or min
utes longer.
In preparing this bath care must be taken
not to put in too much water at first OF there
will not be room for the additions of hot and
cold water. Now, prepare the bed-whieh
should be close to the bath-fOr a wet sheet
pack, which is done by laying three pairs of
blankets on the bed, and then wiring sheet
out of hot water and spreading it quickly on
the bed; if for a small child have it doubled !;
place the patient on the wet sheet and quick
" envelop HIM, then place piece of flannel,
also wrung out of hot water, over his knees
now raise one side of the blanket and cover
him, tuckingit in snugly, then the other side
and so with all three of the blankets; put a
hot iron to his feet and keep the head cool
with cold wet cloths. When in the pack the
patient will generally 50 to sleep; should he
do so, leave him in the pack for three quar-
ters of an hour ifshe does not sleep, take
him out in half an hour and stand HIM in a
waym tub and gently pour over him half or
three-quarterS of bucket of blood-warm
water, rubbing him all over while doing so :;
then stand him on the carpet and throw over
him a warm, dry sheet, and rub HIM dry
from the outside of the sheet; IN the mean
while, have some one Preparing his bed, into
which, when thoroughly dry, put the patient.
Now for the threat treatment Have two
flannel cloths, wiring one ont OF As hot water
rs possible, and apply to the throat as hot
rs can be borne covering with loose, dry
flannel to keep in the steam; leave 1t On for
five minutes, and then wiring out the other
cloth, in cold water, and leave it on for five
minutes then replace with the hot cloth.
until you have applied each 5 or times;
wiring out the cloths so that they will not
drip, beginning with hot and leaving the cold
one on at last, cooling it occasionally with
cold water, or even, IN extreme cases, wrap
ping pounded ice in the compress. In using
this application to the throat, | have invar-
iably found that the sufferer had such re-
lief that had to awaken him before l could
finish the course of treatment. Should the
fever arise again. give him another pack, or
sponge him off with damp sponge, under
the bedclothes Give the patient all the ice
he wants, broken in small pieces, and allow
ed to dissolve In the mouth-they always
crave it.
By all means avoid those caustic and pois-
Onous applications which are so commonly
used in this disease, such as nitrate of silver,
blue vItrol, muriate of iron, alum, etc, m
stead of which swab the throat occasionally
with pure lemon iuice or what Is the same
thing, dissolve some citric acid IN water,
making 1t the same strength as lemon juice.
If the patient Is old enough to gargle, dis
solve small teaspoonful of salt in tumbler
of water, and use that as a gargle.
The sick room should be well ventilated
SO as to carry away the foul germs resulting
from the disease, and prevent their reabsorp.
ton into the blood. As general thing the
patient will eat the second or third meal af-
ter this treatment. The diet should be PLAIN
and light; oat meal cruel, mush and milk,
baked apples, etc.
Under drug treatment this disease is ter
ribly fatal, but when properly treated, fatal
cases rarely occur. | have never known,
nay more have never heard of death when
the patient has been faithfully treated by
this system from the first.
During an epidemic of diphtheria in Brook
lyn, DIR. o. T. Lines, of that city, treated
one hundred cases by similar treatment with
out losing single patient although the city
reports showed an average mortality OF forty
per cent. of those treated in the ordinary
way Such success is certainly significant.
GEORGE SAVAGE.
q.