New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1892-09-05
DIR. BYRON'S SACRIFICE.
lie GOES TO TAKE CHARGE OF SWINBURNE
ISLAND
A TALK WITH HIM ABOUT THE PATIENTS WHO
DIED-IIoW CHOLERA ACTS-TREAT-
MENT FOR 1T.

one knows how long in the pest hospitals at SWIM
burne Island. He is DR.. Byron, the scientist
and meteorological expert, and lecturer at the
Locmis Laboratory. He has given up his large
practice for the time being, and will remain on
Swinburne Island TO fight the cholera. He will be
forced to quarantine himself as strictly as any OF
his patients are quarantined, and he does not
expect 70 set foot shore again till the danger is
over lie made light of the risk which he was
running and was not desirous of saying much
about mi, action but he acknowledged that 1t
would involve a financial sacrifice, as the salary
Maid him by the State would not nearly equal
the income which he derives from his regular
practice Dr. Byron went to Quarantine at first
only as a archaeological expert, and he did not
expect to do anything except make examinations
and microscopical analyses. But he was requested
10 remain and take charge Of the pest station al
Swiuburne Island, and he decided that 1t was MS
duty a. n ph ysican 10 accept the call. lie, now
evor is inclined 10 take a favorable view of the
situation. and thinks that the trouble AT Quaran-
tire will he over in probably five or six weeks.
Frost will kill the disease" he said but if
IL does not de, ,elop now and the proper sanitary
precautions are taken. and if the vigilance OF
the Board Of Health of the city should he relaxed
in the slightest degree, the cholera might break
ont IN the spring and that would be a bad matter
What result did your bactcrologica. examna-
tion Of the cholera discharges from the Nor
MAMMA and Rugia have?'
well, don't wish to say officially and posi-
lively, but I have no doubt whatever that the
cases are thosr Of true Asatc cholera. The SYM
toms of the patients Of the Normannin and Rugia
are too violent for anything else. and they are
those of cholera Asiatic The term cholerine
which has been used the ships is most
To ri mi
cholera Asiatica. These cases were not mild
" Do the patients suffer any pain?
NO: there is no pain connected with Asiatic
cholera. That is popular fallacy. This IL one
OF the things which distinguish cholera Asatica
from cholera morbus. In the latter the pain
comes at once In true cholera the patient be-
comes apathctc and suffers hardly any pain. 1t
l. reilly an easy death to die. Cholera patients
die from asphyNiation The terrible vomiting
and discharges thin the blood greatly that
what material is left In the blood coagulat"s and
refuses 10 circulate. This produces an excess OF
carbonic acid gas in the system which causes
asphyXia,ion THIS same carbonic acid gas is
what nnmhs the pain in manner and renders
the patients 10 q large extent nscnsbe 10 pain
The only pain during the progress OF the dlseas"
consists in cramps IN the calves Of tho legs which
are due 10 reflex action. The cramps in the
bowcl, do not begin till the end when death ar
proaches.
We are treating the patients now with the
salt and water remedy discovered By the Italian
physician. DR. Catani, known as hypodernoclysis
We inject a weak solution of salt and water
about ! part Of salt % 1000 Of water, warmed
up TO the temperature of the human body. As
fast ia the fluid matter Of the blood leaves the
patient We renew it by injecting this solution
/ under the skin We use enormous quantities of
IT, sometimes giving patient 20 10 30 litrcs
u dav This keep, the blood going. Then, to
cheek the diarrhoca, injections of solution OF
tannin are put into the stomach. We use about
two or time quarts day for each patient. 10
not only checks the uiarrhoca, but also produces
coma in the bacteria and kills them.
The vomiting. which is so marked a feature
Of the disease. is particularly distressing 10 the
physicans because IL prccludes the possibility oil
| intr,ducinr medicines through the moutl> and the
stomach furthermore. will retain nothing. The
general treatment besides the injections, is 10
give such drugs as give rclief, with prahuS
and water 10 keep up the vitality OF the system
The patients are kept quiet as much as poS''o'e
and their abdomcns are kept warm anu u'S'
The symptoms of the patients are 'h"se VI
| Asiatic cholera said Dr. byron. The dead
pcopIe had all the appearance of cholera dead
|
their skin was dry and like parchment 50 1t couiu
| he puIloJ ont from the body, and 50 lheiasuc
II wouId stay that way, and their frames were oi
course wasted away so that they looked Ike
| sl,oletons with the skin stretched over H.
"Wcre their faces o: tae blush black hue OF
which we have heard 3, much as being the cnai-
actcristic symptom of cholera in dead pateh'
"Thot BLUSH black hue is due only to the iac'
that what is left Of the venous blood has nccoihc
coaenlatcd. and there is 80 LITTLE lcit OF II 'n''
the ,r,o,ia blood shows through the blue arter's'
which produces "A peculiar livid hue and makes
cholera dead look particularly awful.
The two patients who died laic on saturday
NIGHT were taken 10 the crcmaTory at once AMI
burned The furnaces there have been kept uhh'r
great heat ever since the plague shlp~ arriV'us
! but these two cases were the lrst ones 10 pe
/ burncd The incincration lasted several hours, ana
no vcs,irc was cft Of the dead after II w"S
finished DR. Byron Was asked wh1 tt'i an w,
dead If there sllall he more, would he onrlieu; ;
lie said that al course cremation VIZ IonI''' NI
III" safest thing, but that many p'"Pn' ih'l
great horror of it, and if the relatives of any VINO
might die should object to this mode OF dlspoSng
of the bodies, another method would ID" uhcd.
Swinburne Island has the necessary appliances Tor
cmlalming bodies and if necessary to satisfy rcIa-
tvcs the bodies of cholera dead can nc clno''iru @
The method of enbalning used III their case now
over will he radically different from that llscd IN
ordinary embalming II Will be much IKE the
ancient method employed by @ tne E9yptlnhS o IN pre-
Gried IN entirely and look much like mumn"'
They can then bc preserved for a long time, and
all danger Of infection is DESTROYED by t,lS
mctbod Tlcsc are the only two methods TO be
rseL in tne case OF cholera paticnt'. IL would, or
course, he utterly out of the question to puiy
them, for that would invite - spread ol me me IN
| fcction' After they are embalmed they VIII ~"
kent in spccial vault on Swinburne Island Tor
certain length of time to make assurance douby
sure A., >a, =,
Jacob Uvncmann who died August 81 and
whose disease was first reported cholera, really
died from diabetes. In cases OF diabetes me nowels
are often affected and no doubt he showed some
symptoms which naturally looked suspicious when
Asiatic cholera is on board" said DIR. Byron.