River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1880-05-20
CURE FOR DIPHTHERIA.
An Able Paper on the Cause and Cure Of
Diphiheria-The Disease Highly Con.
tagiOns.

An Able Paper on the tause and Cure OF
Diphiheria-The Disease Highly Con.
tagions.
At the meeting OF the State Medical
society of Wisconsin at Milwaukee, on
Wednesday last, DIR. B. o. Reynolds of
Geneva read carefully prepared paper
upon diphtheria, in which he stated that
the disease had been known under diff
ferent names from the earliest history
of medicine. He said that the disease
is not governed by any known climatic
or meteorological laws or atmosphere
conditions. 1t has beer known to rage
with equal violence in summers heat
and winters cold; in marshy and i'll
drained localities, and upon the dryest
and most elevated places. The sands
of the Pacific and the granite hills of
New England known it alike; the den
sely crowded cities and sparsely settled
dry prairies, where the air is the purest.
He dwelt at length upon its symptoms
and kinsEip with other diseases, but
these points are of less interest than its
treatment, In regard to which he said:
Az the nature and pathology of diph-
liberia yet renail somewhat yelled in
obscurity, it is not surprising that its
treatment has often been vaciIlating,
experimental and uncertain. There
are cases so mild that no medication is
necessary; end there are others so
malignant and rapid in the course that
the best treatment known to the pro-
fession will fail to arrest or mitigate.
From what is known OF its pathology,
sustaining tonic and stimulating treat
ment is plainly indicated, and the eff
cacy of this plan has been verified by
thousands of judicious physicians dur
ing the past few years. This kind of
treatment is particularly required in
cases of considerable severity, as the
tendency is to depression and death by
asthenia. In such cases tonics, stimu-
lants and nourishing diets should be
commenced early and persisted in sys-
tematlcally. We have learned to place
great reliance upon quinine, chlorate
of potash, tincture OF chloride of iron,
and alcoholic stimulus; and these rarely
disappoint us unless the cases are extra
ordinarily malignant. We have no
stereotyped formula, but would pre-
scribe for six-year-old child about the
following: Quinine 2 grains; tincture
chloride of iron m. 10, to be taken to-
gether in a tablespoonful of whisky
sling every four hours. Also one table
spoonful of saturated aqueous solution
of potash chloras, every hour during the
day; but less often during the night to
enable the patient to get more rest. If
marked asthenia is present, or occurs
during treatment, we increase the alco-
holic stimulent decidedly. We have
given with apparently good results to a
ten-year child half-ounce of whisky
every hour. We insist upon good
nourishment throughout, and should
the stomach reject medicine, nourish-
ment, or both, we direct their admins
tration in the form of enemas. We re-
gard that local treatment of the throat
often does more harm than good, es-
pecially with timid children.
When the patient is old enough to
use gargles intelligently we frequently
direct their use, not with view to ar
resting the disease, but to soothe and
mitiga te in some measure the local In
flammation. But mopping the throat
with medicated solution is worse than
useless with young children. The inha-
lation of steam or medicated vapor is
highly recommended. While we do
not regard alcoholin any proper sense
a specific or prohylactic in diphtheria,
we nevertheless regard it as a very valu-
able therapeutic remedy, judiciously
administered in cases presenting symp-
toms of marked asthenia; and in all
severe cases we administer it freely in
anticipation of this event.