The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1889-02-25
Cold Water and Typhoid Fever

The cold water method of treating ty-
phoid fever is attracting attention In New
York It is called the German method be-
cause some of the German physicians have
adopted i in their practice, and have found
it so satisfactory that they commend it
highly. All the German physicians do not
believe in it, however, and those who do
not, condemn it in the strongest kind OF
terms
DR.. Simon Baruch, Of the Manhattan
general hospital, New York city, is giving
the cold water treatment trial, and hopes
to introduce it into his hospital. There is,
of course, great deal Of prejudice against
it, but that he hopes to overcome by prov
ing its immense superiority to the present
treatment.
DR.. Baruch, in paper in the MEDICAL
Record gives some facts relative to typhoid
fever and the cold water treatment which
ara very interesting. He says that the
father of the cold water treatment is DR..
Earnest Brand, of Stettin, Germany, who
introduced it into the German military hos
pitfalls some years ago. 1t is also used in
several of the French hospitals
As is well known the deaf h rate in typhoid
fever cases is appalling. The report of the
health board Of New York city for the years
from 1875 to 1885, shows 7,7l2 cases of
typhoid fever of which 3, lS4 proved fatal.
The death rate was %. In the New York
hospitals in 1885 the death rate in this fever
was 1856 per cent. In Germany in IL ,124
reported cases treated by the antiDyretic
method there were 2l.7 per cent. of deaths.
The cold water treatment shows differ
ent result. A Lyons, France, physician re.
Gently testified thatin l ,21l cases treated By
him by means Of cold baths there were only
twelve deaths, less than per cent. Out of
1907 cases treated in the Ger nan military
hospitals by "all kinds of cold baths" the
mortality was 10 per cent. Out of 2, 1873
cases treated with "strict cold baths" the
mortality was only IL per cent, and Of
these cases 2.150 were treated by this
method before the disease had progressed
five days, and all recovered.
These are astonishing results, and are
sufficient to induce physicians all over the
country TO make a thorough inquiry into
the cold water treatment. The main diff
Guilty that is encountered with it is that of
getting nurses who can and will apply it
properly. If it is not applied properly and
carefully it does not produce the results
claimed for it, and in some instances where
it has been tried and condemned, it has
been shown that its failure to produce salts
factory results was due to ignorance or
careless ess in applying it.
DR.. Brand says that the lea ding feature
Of his treatment is "the immersion of the
patient in moderately cold water every
three hours, provided his temperature is
above 1922 Fahrenheit. TIE water is
kept at a temperature of between 60 and
10, and the patient is allowed to remain in
the bath for fifteen minutes, unless he is
overtaken by heavy chill, when he is i'm
medately removed. Colder water is poured
gently and gradually upon his head, and he
is male to drink a glass of diluted wine
At the expiration of tue fifteen minutes he
is rubbed briskly and removed to his bed
In three hours, if his temperature is above
1922 another bath is administered, and SO
o. through the day and night.