McCook weekly tribune. (McCook, Neb.) 188?-1886, 1883-12-06
Treatment Of Typhoid Fever.

New York Tribune.
The academy of medicine held its
regular meeting last night. Every seat
was occupied, and many ladies' were
present. DR.. Francis Delafeld read q
paper on "Typhoid Fever" He said !:
The mortality tables of the board of
health show yearly mortality of from
100 to 200 cases of typhoid fever. In
1858 to 1856, when typhus fever pre-
vailed in New York, the mortality from
typhoid even ran up from 500 to 600
cases. In 1883, up to October 1, there
has been PA deaths. the disease is
most prevalent in New York in August,
September and October. Out of 1905
cases treated in the various hospitals in
the city from January 1, 1876,
to October l, 1888, in different
years, there was great variation
in the percentage of mortality. The
highest percentage of mortality was in
1880, when of the 10 patients treated
80 per cent died; the lowest was IN
1879, when only 70 per cent of the ia
cases treated terminated fatally. The
disease In New York has followed the
ordinary rule of preferring young
adults. Of the 1905 cases treated, Coz
were between 20 and 80 years of age.
In the different hospitals there are
great differences in the methods of
treatment. Alcohol in some shape is
given By some physicians in every case.
In others peptonized milk is used. BY
other physicians it is rarely used. In
some hospitals quinine is Civ in near
ly every instance, in others it is only
used when the temperature is above 1870
degrees, and in others it is hardly given
at all. Opinions differ widely as to its
use. General bathing seems to have
been abandoned, but spo: glng the sur
face of the body with cold water, or cold
water and alcohol, is employed to
large extent in some of the hospitals.
DR.. A. L. Lomis said: DIR. Delafield
has not given any definition of what is
typhoid fever. He has left an open
question whether the fever is one of
spontaneous development, or whether
it depended upon poison which must
be developed in a living organism, and
which must undergo certain changes
before it is infectious; in other words,
whether we can have true typhoid fever
without having typhoid germs. Some
of the wards in our hospitals are in
condition to develop typhoid fever, ev-
en- if it were Of a spontaneous origin.
DIR. F. p. Kinnicutt said: In regard
to treatment the question of the adyan-
tages of alcohol is a difficult one to
decide. In some cases restlessness is
diminished by its use; but, in number
of apparently equally favorable cases,
we see the reverse of this picture. NV
rule is to withhold alcohol until the
third week, and then give it only if it
seems necessary. In two cases which l
have recently noticed, where large
doses of alcohol were given the delirum
was strongly marked; On the sudden
withdrawal of the alcohol the delirum
ceased, and in all other respects the
patient showed marked improvement.
Tie best treatment is simply rest in
bed, quietude and q strictly regular
diet, reserving medical diet only for
special symptoms.
DR.: Janeway said that the causes of
typhoid fever were IN many cases diff
cult to determine. He related the his
tory of Investigations after an outbreak
of typhoid fever at the deaf and dumb
asylum and at Princeton. In both cases
the cause of the disease was defective
drainage. In the first case the drain
age pipe passed within fifteen feet of
the well, there were no signs of break
age, and it required the most careful
experiments to determine that the wa
tor waS c0ntQ minat
DR.. T. A. Mcbride said he had used
karin as substitute for quinine for the
purpose of reducing temperature with
good results.