Fort Worth daily gazette. (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1890-08-10
Lecture On Dysentery--Two Inter-
esting Cases Described.
A Young Physician Who Made Himself
Famous in the treatment OF
Acute Dysentsry Many Years Ago-Ths Secret
of 1t Revealed.

inflammation is confined to the lower
part of the large intestine, while in
diarrhea the inflammation involves the
mucous lining of the bowels above. The
causes for each are nearly the same, and
the cure does not differ in any essential
particular. They differ from each other
in the character of the discharges more
than in any other particular, the dis
charge of diarrhea being mainly the
focal contents OF the bowels, while the
passages of dysentery consist OF mucus
and serum the natural contents of the
bowels appearing in small, hard, sepa-
rate Jumps, called scybala. the acute
form this disease is attended with fever.
It is one of the pests of hot climates,
where at certain seasons OF the year 1t
is very prevalent and destructive.
Armies and nayies especially suffer from
its ravages.
CAUSES.
EXPOSURE to cold and wet, the use OF
unwholesome food, and the agency of
malaria and contagion are among the
most common causes. The most violent
forms of the disease occur in warm eli
mates aud in situations where the body
is exposed to extreme alterations of
cold and heat; aud hence there is every
reason to believe these agencies have
something to do in its production. 1t Is
doubtful whether the use OF unwholesome
food or malsriRl poison alone would be
sufficient to produce dysentery, and the
general opinion among medical men Is
that il is not contagious disease.
SYMPTOMS.
One of the earliest symptoms of dysen-
terry is an uneasiuess of the idomen
soon amounting to pain of gripping
character in the region of the navel.
There is a frequent desire TO go to stool,
and an evacuation affords temporary
relief. Unless the right treatment Is
begun promptly tine desire TO evacuate
the bowels increases in intensity and fire.
uuency, and there ia less relief ex-
perienced by the evacuation. The dis
charge is scanty, aud consists either en-
tirelY OF q jelly-like mucous or mucus
mixed with blood, films, membranous
shreds and fragments resembling flesh.
Later on each evacuation produces eX-
treme pain instead of bringing relief,
and the patient is tormented by sensa-
ton that thare is something TO come
away, the expulsion OF which would cure
him, and is irresistably impelled TO
allowed to rnn INTO an advanced stage of
the disease the stools become greenish or
black, and very foetid. The bladder
frequently, by reflex sympathy with the
rectum, becomes irritable, and con-
slant desire to void urine adds to the
misery of the patient. Nausea and
vomiting sometimes ensues. The patient
passes sleepless OF dreamy and disturbed
nights, aud is low-sprlted and despond-
ent.
If not treated properly the pulse be-
comes very small ard rapid, the features
sharpen, the surface grows cold, and
death ut length sets in.
The duration of dyseutery is very I'M
certain. In some cases ii proves fatal in
a few days, or even hours, and in others
il may last for months. Two stages of
this disease are recognlZed-the intiam-
matory and the Lucrative. 1t is espec-
tally fatal IN very young children and
very old people, and not q moment is to
be lost after the first symptoms appear.
TREATMENT.
In dysentery we have but another
example of Inflammation OF a mucous
membrane for which Pe-ru-na Is the
only absolute specific known. In life
time OF the practice of medicine | have
never failed to cure q, single case of dys-
EMERY or any other mucous inflammation
with Pe-ru-na. To better describe the
details of my treatment In this formld-
able disease l will give the particulars of
a case or two occurring in my regular
practice.
The first case select was during my
early practice in Tippecauoe, Ohio, over
thirty three years ago. l was called in
hn. 70 a
some four miles distant on the New Car
lyle turnpike. Upon my arrival 1 was
surprised TO meet my old precepter, the
distinguished DR.. Shackelford, who had
been called before me in consultation
with the attending physician, whose
name 1 have forgotten. AS the result
of their consultation, which had been
neld before l was sent for, they had de-
Cided that the case was past all cure.
The patient was q prominent man who
had been taken few days before with
dysentery, and in spite of all the treut-
ment that had been employed he rapidly
failed from the beginning. The grief
stricken wife had already been informed
Of the opinions OF the physicians in
council that her husband was at the
point of death. An old lady, distant
relative of the family, who happened to
be present, asked DR.. Shackelford: 'You
know DR.. Hartman, don t your" HOh,
yes, - said he, al know him very well;
he was a student of mime She went
on to say that she lived in Tippecanoe,
where d.. Hartman pranticed, and there
was raging at that time a violent cpl
demic OF dyseutery. and although other
doctors were unable to manage the dis
ease, DR.. Hartman had not lost single
case. "'Would you have any objections
to having DR.. Hartman called in consul
tation before We give up entirely?'
s'None whatever, says DR.. Shaekel-
ford; 'thave him sent for Immediately
and we will watt AS quick as possible
was brought TO the apparently dying
man. 1t required only a hasty glance at
the pinched and livid countenance and
but a touch of the cold brow, upon which
was already gathering drops of cold per-
SEPARATION, to reveal TO me the desperate
emergency of the situation; aEd while i
touched lightly the elammy wrist to as
certain what might from the Pickering
pulse, in few well-chosen words the
doctors gave me q brief history of the
case. My first embarrassment in being
called in council with my renowned pre-
ceptor had by this time passed away,
aud with a confidence which only re-
peafe1 arnerieus.e with fhis diseasa couId