Fayette County herald. [volume] (Washington [Washington Court House], Fayette County, O. [Ohio]) 1860-1???, 1880-03-04
Sulphur in Diphtheria.

The use of common sulphur as {
remedy for diphtheria has been trieC
with success in this city, and this paper
has repeatedly published the fact
Diphtheria being unusually preValen
in Rochester, N. Y, just now, DIR. G.
L. Beach, of that city, addresses the
following letter to the Union and Id
VertGSer:
That sulphur is of great value in the
treatment of diphtheria think l have
reason to feel convinced, but how fal
it is entitled to rank as specific leave
for the test of extensive experience. A
great deal has been printed in medical
! Journals about sulphur, sulphurous
acid, ETC., etc., as specific in diph-
liberia, asquinine is said to be in malaria.
In my opinion it is not specific. Many
medicines of great virtue in the treat
ment of disease possess no claims as
specifics.
do not write for the purpose of en-
tightening the profession, nor for the
purpose Of giving to the public a cure
for diphtheria, but simply as per-
formance of duty which l think is too
much ignored by physicians. Diph-
liberia of maligpRnt type is prevailing
extensively at the present time, and it
is the duty of all to give one another
the benefit of experience, with such
remedies as are given out from time to
time as useful in the treatment Of this
disease, and more especially as it is a
prominent fact that as yet there is no
very satisfactory method of cure for
malignant Giphtheria,.
Ihope that l may be excused for Civ
ing my experience during the past
month with sulphur in the treatment of
diphtheria of an unquestionably malig-
nant type. l had treated quite num-
ber of patients, dangerously i'll, success
fully; but case occurringin an infant,
where the membrane had extended into
the larnyx and produced membranous
Group, with impending asphyxia, was
induced to make trial of sulphur, and
the child was saved, in my opinion, by
burning sulphur in the room so as to
produce a strong and slightly suffOcat-
ing smell, and continuing it so as to
maintain an odor of sulphur constantly
in the room. Further, in a certain local
ity, where have occurred fifteen cases,
ten of which were attended by 9TH
er physicians, and seven out Of the ten
dying, took charge of five cases, of
which every one got well. In the treat
ment of these five cases | did not omit
any of my usual remedies, but used the
sulphur ,as an adjunct. l gave small
doses of it frequently, and also had
little bugned in the room every two or
three hours, so as to maintain q smell
of sulphur constantly in the room. l
think the sulphur aided in saving the
lives of my five patients. Some may
claim that my patients were not so sick
as the others. | claim that they were,
and that they had all the characters
tics of very malignant diphtheria, one
of them being in family where anoth-
er child had just died. In fact, it was
said by the friends of the families, who
we're constantly visiting back and forth,
that the five l attended were attacked
the most severely. Certainly the dis
ease was of a malignant type, or seven
out of fifteen would not have died.
The object of the administration of
sulphur is that it may, by being ab-
sorbed into the blood via the stomach
and lungs, destroy the confervoid
and not only induce removals
Of exudations already existing but pre-
vent new deposits.
hope that others may be induced to
make trials of it iudiciously, but not to
the exclusion of other tried remedies.
.Brooblgp argus.