The daily gazette., 1878-09-09
yellow Fever in the hlt,-Sl,,lt;]1 South
INTERESTING FACTS CONCERNING 1rs
TREATMENT,

|
TREATMENT.
The New Orleans correspondent of the
New York Times gives the following in
teresting facts concerning the treatment
Of the terrible disease now depopulatinp
the Crescent City and other similarly af-
flicted cities in the South:
"The time-honored treatment by suda-
tion and diaphoretic draughts is still the
most popular, with few notifications
The most successful treatment so far is tn
administer very hot mustard foot-batb
Immediately after the patient has retired
with warm, active enema. The stomach
is emptied by ipecacuanha. The patient
Is then covered with one good blanket
wrapped closely about him. Should tbe
enema fail, second is administered. IF
this prove impotent, 10 grains of calomel
are given. Oil is deemed Injurious as II
tends to nauseate. Should the tempera-
ture be very high, half grain doses of byo-
cyamus are given and sometimes 10 grains
OF 9ulnine. Frequent draughts of orange
ieaf tea to promote diaphoresis are ad
ministered. Should there be a tendency
70 cerebral congestion, ice is applied to
the base OF the brain. Cupping, cold
water enemas, and external refrigeration
have been notably unsuccessful as a rule.
but are rarely resorted to except in OK,
IRENE cases. When the fever has run its
course and the secondary or stage of col
lapse has come, small doses of quinine to
prevent relapse, Bethesda or Apollinaris
water to stimulate the kidneys, and di-
luted champagne, or few drops of bran
dy from time to time are given. Iced
Lemonade Is given whenever a feeling of
nausea indicates tendency to black vo-
init, as also is diluted champagne-this
last with great caution. No nourishment
is allowed save one or two spoonfuls of
barley water or weak cruel. From this
time on, if no unfavorable symptoms are
developed, the patient requires nothing
but constant watching and the greatest
care in the administration of food.
Inc fatal days are considered TO be the
thlrd, NTH, seventh and ninth, the dam
ger decreasing in geometric proportion.
Alter the ninth day the patient Is consi-
dered TO be out of all danger, save that
OF relapse, which is certain to follow
even the slightest imprudence in diet or
exercise, and is sure d, ath. The sallow-
ness, from which tfis disease derives ,ts
name, does not this year appear in more
than one case in live. Tue creole doc
tors viii never declare case to DO vel
low iev-r when the patient is "a native.
Many prominent physicians neglect to
report. Not over rs physicians, inciud-
ing those employed by the Howards, re-
port their sick, while there are over 200
now with large cl,enteles in infected dis
trlcis. Hence the opinion given by ex-
hA H..A 81
nearly 1000 cases now in the city. in
Guiding convalescent-, and that the aver
age mortality does not exceed per cent
IN private practice. The mortality.
however, varies greatly in different To-
calities. The cleaner the streets and the
more fashionable the quarter, the greater
is the virulrnce. This ia q
severe blow to the theory that filth
breeds the disease or tends to propagate
u. 1T Is fact-which, l believe, never
has been commented upon-that Vera
Cruz, Mexico, is as free from filth of any
kinds as it is possible for city 10 be. |
She has superb drainage, is thoroughly
paved, has an excellent scavenging force,
aud has not swamp or damp spot of
ground within 80 miles. Yet she il hot
bed of yellow fever during nine months
of the year. AT the present time in this
city the filthiest streets are either wholly
free from taint or have only widely scat
tered cases of mild type.
The fever plays strange freaks. There
are squares on ST. Charles, Poytania,
Camp, Carondelet, and Magaz zine, ali
fashionable streets, that have, so far, en-
tirely escaped, although the pestilence
has swept by and enveloped every house
in contiguous squares. Again, there are
examples of houses in an infected block
eluding the scourge, although every in
mate is unacclimated, while the adjoining
houses, residences OF natives who have
had the fever once already, are heavily
visited. Negroes, natives, and persons
why have been through five and six cpl
denies are not exempt this year, and all
the old theories have been entirely sub
verted.
Is there any prophylactic against yel-
low fever? Sulphur, strychnia, atropa
aconite, nitre, sassat'ras, char
coal, iodine, camphor, &c, these are re-
freely, and il may be safely
asserted that every adult is taking one or
more of them. One remedy has been
eminently successful so far, and is based
upon principles of the clearest medical
science. 1t is advocated by DIR. Joseph |
Scott, one of the most successful and pop
ular physic ans here, and his brother, DR.. |
Isaac Scott, lately medical director of tue |
department of the South. Many other |
prominent meulca1 men concur III good |
opinion of 1t, while none are averse TO it. |
Ii is as follows: Three grains of sulphate |
Of quinine on rising, with a half glass of |
lemonade to facilitate assimilation. Fol- |
lowing this, six drops of Fowler's solu-
5ion OF arsenic. After each meal fifteen |
grains of chlurate of potassa as diuretic |
and to oXygenate the blood. The dose of |
luinine is TO be repeated at night, unless |
tnttuS durium becomes very annoying. |
luinine as tonic and febrItuge; arsenic |
Is tonic and al5erative chiorate of po- |
jassa as refrigerant, diuretic, diaphoretic, |
md means of introducing oxygen into |
he blood-the rationale is good, and |
the prescription has worked |
ike charm.
Some of the incidents OF the plague |
possesses most intense and melancholy |
interest. A correspondent of the New |
York Herald at Grenada, Miss, saws:
.D-ivins over to Mrs. Mashall's, the |
widow of the Western Union operator,
hat afflicted lady was foLud alive and
we'll physically, but almost drmented.
She has lost father, mother, uncl-, aunt,
ler husband and three children. Her
was wild and disconnected;
who could expect otherwise? Going
rom there to the hospital | found eleven
two of whom are little motherless
children, A husband and vile were ly-
np in a cot nearest the door. The hus-