Butler citizen. [volume] (Butler, Pa.) 1877-1922, 1882-01-04
SMALLPOX.

There are few diseases that possess
more interest, both for the physician
and the public, than smallpox, and
hence we take pleasure in laying be-
fore our readers a description of the
treatment which has been used for
many years with great success by DIR
Aldan. S. Payne, late Professor of
Theory and Practice in the Southern
Medical College, Atlanta, and Honora-
bic Fellow of the Medical Society of
Virginia, etc. The following is an
abstract made by his permission from
one of his lectures on smallpox
| Prof Payne states that as early as
1916, when at the Smallpox Hospital
in New York city, he noticed that the
primary or initial fever of smallpox
could be detected by the pulse before
any other symptom appeared. This
pathognomonic pulse is one peculiar to
smallpox, pulse s,i generis difficult
to describe, but recognizable by any
physician who will patiently and care
fully investigate the subject until his
finger becomes educated. When once
recognized it can nerer be forgotten,
any more than a physician who has
once learned to detect the hemorrhagic
pulse could forget its peculiar thrill
| impaired TO his educated finger.
Having learned to recognize the ini-
tial fever by its peculiar pulse, he next
proceeds to vaccnate. If this is done
within ten or twelve hours after in
ception of the initial fever the patient
will have slight indisposition, without
sign of eruption, and as positive ex-
emption from recurrence of the dis
ease as if he had had it in the most
malignant FORM The most remarka-
able feature about the whole thing is
that if the patient is vaccinated early
after the init fever sets in, he may
be then alloS "a to go where be pleases
without fear 81 giving the disease to
others. The migrating of the vaccine
matter upon the primary variolous
fever seems to have the power to de-
stroy its ability of reproduction or
propagation entirely. Another pecu-
liarity is this: If an unprotected
patient is vaccinated before the in
ception of the initial fever. and the vac
cine takes, but does not prevent, only
modifes the disease, the eruption will
be varioloid in its appearance and
characteristics. But if vaccinated after
| the commencement of the initial fever,
and too late to entirely prevent an
eruption will resemble in size and 9th
er characteristics the smallpox eruption,
it matters not whether there is one or
hundred pimples. There is as great
difference in the appearance OF the
varioloid eruption and the smallpox
eruption as there is between gray and
yellow.
DIR Payne divides smallpox into con-
| fluent, semi-conhuent, discrete. modifi-
ed, and manipulated, the latter being a
term of his own invention. In 1873
smallpox broke out in his neighbor-
hood, in Virginia, and was of the va
riety known as Uariota nigrd, and
when not modified by some benign in
! fuence was invariably conhuent Those
in and around Manassas were OF the
same variety. Being called to attend
colored chambermaid who had but
recently aborted, and who was in a
room over the kitchen of large hotel
near his own dwelling, he recognized
in her the pulse peculiar to smallpox,
and the next day the eruption appeared.
In regard to isolation he says: 81 saw
it would never do to remove this wo-
man, and | determined to isolate the
case and abide the consequences. be
they what they mig ht If | have her
removed, l said, the poor woman must
die, and the prevailing winds will blow
the virus for miles down the valley be-
low, and the disease will spread beyond
control. But by isolating the case |
have every confidence in my ability to
check it. But should she die, she must
be removed for burial (and that she
will die there is strong probability,
and my plans will be defeated, and
shall incur the reproach of all my friends
and neighbors These were grave con-
siderations, and | was by no means re-
clining on a bed of roses Firm in faith
of the greatest good to the greatest
number, | never faltered. l said to
myself, if she dies will wrap her from
her toes 10 the crown of her lead in
double linen, and with the aid of some
one who has had the smallpox | will
bury her." This was January IL,
1873. BY the 3Oth she was GONZALES
cent, having had it in the semi-confiu-
ent FORM Three persons who were in
the room at the time were ordered to
report to the doctor twice daily. One
of them gave the peculiar pulse on the
oath and was then vaccinated. lie
was lndisposed for two days, arm sore
but no pustules appeared. The others
who had been vaccinaUed before, did
not take it.
Another case described by DIR. Payne
occurred in January, 1888. He was
called on the oath to see w. j., suffer
ing from an eruption which he recog-
nized as varioloid. He vaccinated the
father and two sisters, but an old aunt
refused to be yaccinated, although she
had not been vaccinated in many years,
and she died on the 10th of February
The next day, January 25, he found
the brother at home with the peculiar
pulse. AS he was unprotected DR.
; PAYNE vaccinated him at once, ard the
very next day his arm looked as if vac
cinated eight days before; it rapidly
became sore; he was indisposed for two
or three days, and recovered without a
single sign of eruption.
In another case of an unusually pool
and shiftless colored people, the whole
family of eight persons, OF all ages anC
both sexes, occupied house that had
only one room, in which the cooking
washing, and everything else had t.
be done. Good air and cleanliness
were impossible The father suffered
from a very malignant case of varioloit