The Austin weekly statesman. (Austin, Tex.) 1883-1898, 1890-08-14
LECTURE ON DYSENTERY
TWO INTERESTING CASES
DESCRIBED.
A Young Physician Who Made Himself
Famous it the Treatment of
acute Dysentery Many Years Ago-The
Secret of it Revealed.


difference being in the case of dysen.
tiers that the Inflammation is confined
to the lower part of the large mites.
tine, while in diarrhea the infamma
ton involves the mucuos 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 discharge
of diarrhea being mainly the focal
contents of the bowels, while the
passages of dysentry consist of mucus
and serum, the natural contents of
the bowels appearing in small, hard,
separate Jumps, called scybala. In
the acute form this disease is attended
with fever. Itis one of the pets of
hot climates, where at certain seasons
OF the year it is very prevalent and
destructive. Armies and navies
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 this disease occur in
warm climates and in situations
where the body is exposed to extreme
alterations of cold and heat; and
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 malarial poison alone would be suf-
ficient to produce dysentery, and the
general opinion among medical men
is that it is not contagious disease.
SYMPTOMS.
One of the earliest symptoms of
dysentery is an uneasiness of the alb
domen, soon amounting to pain of a
gripping character in the region of the
naval. There is q frequent desire to
go to stool, and an evacuation affords
temporary relief. Unless the right
treatment is begun promptly the
desire to evacuate the bowels increases
in intensity and frequency, and there
is less relief experienced by the evacu
alton. The discharge is scanty, and
consists either of jelly-like mucous
or mucus mixed with blood, films,
nNemhranous shreds, and fragments
resRmll ling flesh. Later on each
!. evacuation produces extreme pain i'll
stead CT bringing relief, and the
patient is tormented by a sensation
that there is something to come away,
the expulsion of which would cure him,
and is irresistably impelled to strain,
to rid himself OF the irritation. If al
lowed to run into an advanced stage
of the disease the stools become green
ish or black, and very f@tid. The
bladder frequently, by reflex sympa-
thy with the rectum, becomes irrita-
BILE and constant desire to void urine
adds to the misery of the patient.
Nausea and vomiting sometimes
ensue. The patient passes sleepless
or dreamy and disturbed nights and
is low spirited and respondent.
If not treated properly the pulse
becomes very small and rapid, the
features sharpen, the surface grows
cold and death at length sets in.
The duration of dysentery is very
uncertain. In some cases it proves
fatal in few days, or even hours. and
in others it may last for months. Two
stages of this disease are recognized
the inhammatory and Lucrative. 1t
is especially fatal in very young chill
dren and very old people, and not a
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
eaply absolute specific known. In a
lifetime of the practice of medicine
have never failed to cure single case
of dysentery or any other mucous In
flammation with Pe.ru-na. To better
describe the details of my treatment
in this formidable disease will give
the particulars of a case or two occur
ring in my regular practice.
The first case | select was during
my early practice in Tippecanoe,
Ohio, over thirty-three years ago.
was called in great haste to see very
sick patient some four miles distant
on the New Carlyle turnpike. Upon
INV arrival l was surprised to meel
nv old preceptcr, the distinguishes
Dr. Shackelford, who had been callec
before me in consultation with the
attending physician, whose name
have forgotten. AS the result OF thell
consultation, which had been helt
before | was sent for, they had de
cided that that the case was beyoncc
all cure. The patient was prom
nent man who had been taken a lev
DAVIS before with dysentery, and, II
spite of all the treatment that nae
been employed, he rapidly failed IRON II IN
the beginning. The grlet-strltckseesIL
wife had already been informed OF tn
opinions of the physicians IL II
c,mncil that her husband was at TN
noint of death. An old lady, a dls
tant relative of the family, who hap
6ened to be present, asked Dr. onack
Celford: "You knew DR.. Hartman ~