Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1893-01-19
TO CURE DIPHTHERIA.
A wELL-TESTED AND EFFECTIVE COURSE OF
TREATMENT.
Two Plain Prsscripions-Simple and Well Known
Remedies, With Directions as to the Man
ner Of Their Uss-A PhySic-
ian'S Testimony.

nue., writes 10 the HnlldQelpnla h6COT(
as follows: II am induced by the edi
torial in the Record of this morning, ant
by the prevalence of diphtheris in thu
community, to call the attention OF The
profession and the public to treatmen
OF this dreadful disease which in an ex
perience of nearly twenty years has beer
almost uniformly successful, AID which
is now regularly and habitually en-
ployed by several physicians of my &C
quaintance in this city and elsewhere,
and with the best possible results.
In 1875 l wrote a brief article which
appeared in the Scientific american, and
which brought me many subsequent let
tiers from physicians throughout the
country indorsing the treatment in the
most extravagant forms; and, at the re-
quest of the editors OF the Journal Of
ODthalmoIogH OtOloGy and LGrUngOLogy,
of this city, l recently prepared more
elaborate article, which was published
in that quarterly in the issue OF Janu-
ary, 1892. l would refer inquirers to
this article for full description and
demonstration OF the method Of treat
ment of diphtheria, diphtheritic scarla-
tina and kindred diseases, as well as TO
the limitations of action of the remedies
used.
l have also made public my method
of treatment whenever possible, and
fully explained it to members OF famt-
lies in which have used it, and many
Of these now habitually keep small
bottle of crystals of the active remedy
on hand for use in a sudden emergency,
or In suspicious cases.
The remedies used are simple and
well known, though not heretofore en-
poyed as l employ them, or in accord
ance with the rationale OF treatment
and action which l have endeavored to
illustrate in the publication above re-
ferred to, and IL may be that this very
well-known character OF the remedies
has deferred many from pursuing the
treatment advised, who would be at
once caught by some new-fangled "coal-
tar derivative," or other product of
chemistry or botany.
And hence | have particularly en-
phasized the fact that in trying" these
remedies they should be nSed precisely
and exactly as described, leaving future
improvements to the skill OF adopts, and
not novices, after a demonstration Of
theSf ticaCy as prescribed.
The following are the prescriptions
employed, two in number, and used al
teruately.
K l..
Potass. permanganat Crystal ...."gr. ii.
Aqua pure.......... ...................fz' w.
e.
r 9,
@Tiuct belladonna green tinctO git. V.
Aqua w.
NJ.
Sig. A teaspoonful alternately every hour.
The above doses are for adults. In
fants should take a quarter or half tea
spoonful, children less than five years
old half teaspoonful and from that
age upward full doses.
The above doses should not be ex-
ceeded, nor the strength OF the solu-
tions Especially that Of the permanga-
nate), lest it be irritant to the stomach
and hence not absorbed.
1t will be seen that the above pre-
scriDtionS are simply solution OF two
grains of potassium Of permanganate,
which is an ordinary water closet dis
infectant, in four ounces Of perfectly
pure water in one clean bottle; and a
soution of Eve drops Of the green Tor
fresh) tincture of belladOnna in like
quantity of water. The green or
homeopathic tincture $50 called) is
made from the fresh plant, which is
the principal difference between this
the officiual tincture, which is made
from the dry plant. The latter will an
Swer of the latter cannot be readily OBJ
tanned, as the permanent solution is the
most important element in the treat
ment.
In violent cases, at the beginning, l
frequently use the remedies at inter-
walls of one half hour, instead Of one
hour, and in mild cases, or as the cure
progresses, increase the intervals to
two hours or even longer.
This treatment is applicable to diph-
theritic Scarlatina until the diphthertic
symptoms subside, which may be in two,
four or six days, or even more.
AS prophylactic l use the perman-
ganate solution alone where the disease
has developed in family; with all the
other members at intervals OF one or
two hours, same strength Of solution.
have never seen the disease appear
after 24 hours Of this prophylactic
treatment.
A popularity is that the permangan-
ate solution will not manifest any cura-
tive action within a period of say "a
hours, the viS-a-tergO of the blood poi
son or Dtomaine, which causes the dis
ease, requires that length of time to ex-
pend its momentum; hence in cases Of
laryngeal attack (diphtheric Group, so
called unless there is this time to cal
Culate upon, local treatment by spray
or otherwise of suitable remedies may
be requisite, but the constitutional dis
ease will rapidly be cured by the use of
these remedies above described.
l wish to add that sugar, orange or
other taste killers" must not be used
after q dose of the permanganate solG-
ton or it will decomDose the chemical
at once. Pure wafer is the only safe
substance 10 take in small quantity az
ter each dose If the permanganate De
objected to. 1t is not very disagreesble,
but most persons dislike ii, though chill
dren do not usually object.
For the rationale Of action l would
refer TO the article above referred to
in the Journal Of OphthdlmologH but
I may say that it has been conclusively
established, that the solution penetrates
10 the blood unchanged in whole or part
and acts directly upon the poisons con-
tained in the circulating fluids, aud that
it is directly antidatal to these poisons
when thus introduced.
u should 6e observed by the non
professional reader that in using the
above solutions a dose Of one is to De
taken and hour afterward dose OF
the other and so on, and not dose OF