The daily gazette., 1878-08-29
The Southern Plague.
A HYDRoPATHIC NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS.
TONS AND TREATMENT.

HYDRoPATHIC NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS.
TONS AND TREATMENT.
"The opinion of the physicians and of
a great many persons is that it is not vel
low fever at all, but some indescribable
plague. Persons who have had yellow fe-
yer, you know, are not so much liable to
second attack; but this disease makes no
distinction. Nurses who have had yellow
fever have gone down, and the usual fever
treatment appears to be fruitless. 1t is
OF very malignant type. The fever it.
self lasts twelve hours"
Mrs. Hart said:-"The plague spread
rapidly until all were down except those
enumerated. The scene Was terrible.
The dead were buried in the clothes in
which they died. Sometimes the hearse
hurried away leaving the remains over
ground, no grave being dug. Food was
painfully scarce. For over week had
eaten only bread. The atmosphere was
heavy with poison. 1t could be fairly
tasted in the air, and it was impossible
to remove it with disinfectants. There
was no difficulty about my leaving town.
went to the junction where the train
stops to put off and take on the mail, and
l went to Louisville. No one prevented
me from going. l was told on Friday l
| could go. In fact there is no necessity for
prevention, as there is no one to leave"
| The following despatch from New Or
leans indicates new and hopeful depart
IRE in the treatment of the terrible dis
easel
cat the Charity Society to-day DR..
Cheppin tried an exceedingly interesting
experiment, which, ifsuccessful, willrevo-
lutionize the treatment of yellow fever,
and justly be regarded as one of the most
important medical discoveries of the age.
The patient was in a moribund condition,
having been sick with yellow fever twen-
ty-four hours without attention, his only
medicine being seidlitz powder. The
temperature of his body indicated 105 5
degrees His pulse beat 100 minute,
and he presented the appearance of one
who would die in a very few minutes.
The patient was stripped naked, placed
upon one of DR.. KIubes' fever cots, which
has a network cover and india-rubber re-
ceptacle beneath, and sprinkled with ice
water from sprinkling can two hours
and quarter. At the expiration of that
time the temperature of the body was re-
duced to fifiy-eight degrees and the pulse
to ninety, When the sprinkling ceased
the temperature ofthe body returned to
the normal heat of health, the fever dis
appeared, and the patient fell into gen.
tie sleep, which still continues. AT pres
ent writing this first experiment in cold
water treatment is attracting widespread
attention among physicians, and should
the patient recover it is predicted that the
disease will be mastered. After the
sprinkling the patient was covered with a
| sheet. y
| A physician at New Orleans writes as
follows to New York paper concerning
the symptoms and treatment of yellow
| fever:-
"The symptoms of yellow fever are
| first, "A violent headache second, severe
pains in the back third, weakness in
the lower limbs a sense of general un-
easiness. The treatment Put the pa
tient to bed cover up well. Keep the
apartment closed so as to let no draughl
on the patient. Without delay give
patient a hot mustard foot bath. Be
very careful not to let the fresh air on
the patient. Give oil rs soon as posi- bic
and orange leaf tea to produce perspira
ton. Nursing must be done night anC
day. See that the patient is made to per
spire well. Keep him covered up ant
give medicine promptly. Except in rar,
Instances the disease last three days. |
the disease has not been properly attend
ed to vomiting and other serious symp
toms usually occur on the third or fourtl
, day.
"a relapse is dangerous, and is occa
, stoned by exposing the patient to cur
i rent of air, in eating or drinking to,
; much. The fever lasts from twenty t,
. sixty hours usually the pulse gives 10,
| to $50, sometimes 100 pulsations per min
/, ute. The patient often becomes deliri
: GUS and will not lie in bed, throwing tn,
q cover off The writer heard of cas-
! yesi erday where the patient jumped
, out of bed and in one hour was dead.
"Another case, that had the feve
\ broke upon him, while the nurse wa
a looking out of the window drank glas
a of water and in few minutes was dead
. Convalesceue is long and tedious, an
: lasts from fifteen to twenty days. Dun
. ing convalescence give only barley waite
q and chicken broth. After the fever ha
! left the patient the appetite is raveDous
! and any negligence on the part of til
/, nurse in letting the patient eat or drin
/, while convalescing is sure DEATH"