The Lambertville record. [volume] (Lambertville, N.J.) 1872-1968, 1885-02-18
CORROSIVE susLlmArE.
An Accident Which shows il will Curo
Diphtherin as Well as XIII BedbnGs.

CORROSIVE SUBLIMATE,
An Accident Which shows il viii Cure
Diphtheria Well kin Bedbngs.
e Is it true that You have been expert.
menting with a new cure for diphthsria ?n
inquired a reporter of DR.. J. G. Johnson OF
Brooklyn yesterday.
F" Do You mean the bedbug cure ~ asked
The doctor, with twial<le in his eye.
q No news of the bedbug cure has reached
me-" was the reply, g but heard that you
had been experimenting with corrosive sub.
Innate
Same thing" said the DOCTOR at is
no invention or discovery of mine. 1t has
been known TO the reading and intelligent
portion of the medical fraternity about
year"
But why do you call it the bedbus
cure ?n
Because the use of it for diphtherla
,ame about in this way: A physician in
Pennsylvania, country doctor, had a pa
tient, child, very i'll with diphtheria. Tho
case had advanced very far before he was
called. He found the disease SO far ad-
yanced that he had little hope of the child'a
recovery. He gave prescription and told
| the ehild's mother not to send for him IN
less there was some marked change. As he
| was leaving the house the mother asked
him to tell her what to use for bedbug poi
son. lie gave her the form Of solution of
corrosive sublimate and went home. The
mother came to him subsequently and said
The child was doing we'll He told her to
continue the treatment. The next day he
called to see the child, ana found it much
better. lie was q little astonished, but con-
Guided that it would be safo to continue tho
treatment, and said to the mother, /" will
give you another prescription" The mother
replied. That is not necessary. have
plenty of the other left Not necessary =
said the doctor with surprise. Why, ]
only left you dose for day. Well,
have big lot left continued tho mother.
/ Let me see it, said the Doctor Then the
mother brought out tho bedbug poison.
The doctor looked ut the bottle first with
horror, then with amusement. aud finally
4 with interest.
g. Are you sure You gave the child that Z?
he asked.
a. am sure, and the child began to get
better immediately persisted the mother.
90 Well, go on with the treatment,' snid
The doctor. The mother did so ON. and tlie
child got well.
6 The mother had got Hurried and had
mistaken the one solution for the Other
The doctor was a thoughtful man. He r.
membeged tho circumstance the HRxt time
he got diphtheria patient, md kept oi
trying until lie concluded he hid hit al,o,
nm almost certain cure. lie had the mani
ness aud humanity to give his discovery {,
the world through paper fead before u
Pennsylvania medical society Tlivn The
medical Journals took hold of it, aud for tue
last year many physicians in all parts of the
world have been paying attention to it. In
Germany the blood has been photographed
in every stage of the disease, and the i'm
progement under the bcdbug treatment
actually shown by series OF pictures
=" But, is not corrosive snbiidate an active
poison =
lesi so are arseuic, morphine and
stryelfAine, aud lots Of other Diediieines
known to be of ineatimable s.ti1ta ia Inedi
cine and surgery. They are useful whei
they are properly nsod.n
"How do You account for he success q.
the medicine ~
" 1t is simply germanic,de, or the killing
of the germs of the disease. We know that
in diphtheria there nra countless germs
chilled bacteria. They permeate the blood.
The corrosive sublimate begins to kill these
/ germs at once, and soon disposes of them
altogether. Now you will recollect that the
corrosive suhlimate was intended TO kill q
very small insect. The mothers mistake
simply gave tho bacteria The dose intended
/ for the bedding. When you come to think
of it, it is not SO very surprising that n medi-
cine that will kill bedbug or mnn will
olso kill bacteria
But is there not danger that the usa Of
such n medicine will poison people?" 8
Yes, the same danger that there is in
using any other powerful remedial agent.
1t must be used with care and intelligence.
1t so happened that the mother who first
used it did not do any harm. Others might
not be SO fortunate" #f
=" Have any physicians tried the new
remedy and abandoned til"
I" Yes but I think that has generally
been the result OF timidity. Diphtheria isf
terrible disease and requires heroic rome
1y. Tho treatment heretofors has been to
brace up the patient with tonics. Various
Investigations have shown that eighty per
cent. of dipbtheria patients die of exhaus-
ton. The new remedy eralicatea tho dis
case speedily" ---.-z