Daily globe. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1878-1884, 1881-11-04
DIPHTHERIA.
A valuable Treatise Showing How 1t Ca =
Be Cured.

Some time since Dr.. H. P. Gauthier, of
this city, contributed valuable paper
on diphtheria to the Chicago Medical Re-
oie,c, and the article was reproduced in
the GLOBE. In view of the continued and
increasing prevalence of the disease we
again publish it as follows:
"While at Natchez, Miss, in the early
| part of 1865, l was led, through my cx-
perience with an epidemic then and there
prevalent, to adopt the treatment | now
propose to describe. During this cpl
demic about 100 cases of diphtheria were
successfully treated in the manner about
to be described. For some years subse-
quent to my return to Illinois, l treated
all the cases encountered fifty in num-
ber) with complete success by the same
means, and L have since treated
about $50 cases, ALI with the same satisfac-
tory result, except in two instances,
where death occurred, the patient being
almost moribund when coming under
treatment. Previous to the adoption of
the present mode of treatment, my re-
suits were by no means as satisfactory,
the disease proving fatal in at least one
third the whole number of cases. The
treatment which has proven so success
full in my hands is as follows: The pa
tient is ordered tincture of iodine in ten
to twelve drop doses every hour, we'll
diluted with water, so long as the fever
lasts, subsequently reducing it to
ten drops every two, and, finally, every
three hours; local applications of the
drug are made use of at the same time.
These latter should be made by the
physician himself at least twice day.
For internal use, l give, latterly, the
decolorized tlncture: bread, and starchy
articles of diet, are at the same time used
in abundance. Such is my treatment.
Having given 1t in detail, | shall now
cite a few cases, dealing at first with the
unsuccessful ones.
cease l. Six years ago | was called to
patient on Robert street, q boy 6 years
of age, who was cyanotic, and whose
throat displayed the usual diphtheritic
| patches, some of them proceeding to
| gangrene The case was seen in con-
sultation with DR.. S., of St Paul, but
despite all our efforts, soon died. Case
II to III. In the course of the next
week | was again called by the mother of
| the last patient to see two other children
ill from the same disease, but only in the
early stages. The iodine treatment was
freely and fully used, and despite very
severe illness the patients recovered per-
fectly.
"Case ". alive years ago, was called
to see child living in a neat, small
house built upon dry sand. The child's
family, together with another French
family of six members, occupied the
house On my arrival found the child
nearly moribund from diphtheria, and he
soon after died Six children in the same
house were attacked by the disease, but
being treated promptly and freely in the
way indicated, recovered.
'1Thetwo cases already cited are the only
ones in which death has occurred since
my adoption of the iodine treatment.
cease V. Fifteen days ago worn out
cripple came to see me from the timber
regions, much run down physically, and
with his throat in an apparently gangre-
nous condition The prompt, free use
of iodine enabled him to engage in his
usual avocation in the course of six days.
"These and numerous other cases, show
that the remedy is of decided value, suffi-
cient to warrant its trial in every case of
diphtheria, to the exclusion of other con-
stltutiOnal remedies"