Waterbury evening Democrat., 1894-01-08
cREosoTE AND CONSUMPTION.
21,e Drug Would Seem to Bc Able to nIai
 ter the Disease.

! 2he Drug Would Seem to Be Able to Mas- ter the Disease.
 Consumption is now combated by
 many specialists using creosote. The
 benefit derived from the proper employ
 ment of this drug is hardly questiona- 1 ble. Dr. Warner, consulting physician
 to tho French hospital, New York city, | writes to Tho Medical Journal: Our
 ing somewhat extensive employment
 of this remedy In phthisis for the past
 four years, both in hospital and in pri-
 vate practice, 1 have watched with l great encouragement the steady gain in ] tho results obtained, but it has been i only during the latter half of the time
 that the positive value of creosote as an
 agent for combating most powerfully
 the effects of this disease has been made
 apparent. Formerly my custom was to i administer the drug in small doses, ex- ceptionally giving more than six or eight I minims daily. During the last couple
 of years, however, the doses have been
 largely increased with correspondingly better results. Some specialists ex- 1 plain the favorable action of croosoto in l lessening the bronchial secretion and
 improving the appetite. Ot.$r observ-
 CTS, however, believe ill q distinctively
 curative value of the remedy.
 Dr. Warner writes: "The general con-
 dition of the patient, as a rule. rapidly l improves. In some cases the appetite
 is better, the cough at first becomes less during the daytime, while remaining i quite as before during the night. After a
 time, however, 1t also lessens at night.
 If the sputum has been tinged with
 blood, this condition disappears, con-
 trary to what might be expected, as cre- osote is said to congest the bronchial
 mucous membrane, and while at first 1 the sputum is not much lessened, if at
 all, its character is changed-from be-
 ing thick and yellow-muco-puzu
 in fact-it becomes thinner, fl 1othy and contains less solid matter.
 In no case where previously attacks
 of emoptysis-spitting of blood-had
 occurred have they taken place after
 the creosote treatment has been estab-
 lished. The night sweats grow less and
 ill many cases entirely disappear, and
 after awhile there is total absence of
 the daily fever. The weight of the pa tient always increases at first. then it is
 apt to remain stationary, and in excep- tional cases may lessen, and then grad
 ual increase takes place. Tho first in
 crease in weight is no doubt due to the
 improvement in appetite and the great
 CT ability of the patient to properly as- simulate the food consumed"
 Large amounts of creosote may be re- ; tained without discomfort, one of Dr. ! Warmers patients reaching daily
 amount of 215 minims. A valuable aid l to the internal administration of creo-
 sote is found by the coinCident use of | antiseptic inhalatlons of creosote. My ! custom is to use creosOte combined ei- | ther with terebene or ether in 50 per
 cent solution, 10 or 15 minims dropped { on the sponge of a Robinson's inhaler, l and employed every second or third 1 hour, and in somc instances where
 marked benefit has been derived from
 the employment of this measure the 1 respirator has been worn almost con- 1 stantly," is the testimony of the doctor. 1 He tried also the effect, in a large | ward of hospital, of allowing an an 1 tiseptic mixture to simmer gently over low fire during the night. This mix | ture generally consisted of oil of euca- | lyptus, carbolic acid and turpentine.
 A dram each of the first two and two
 drams of the last were put in about 1 quart of water in shallow dish and heat applied. The effect was to fill the
 ward with a pungent, aromatic vapor, which has a markedly restful action,
 coughing being not nearly so general or | frequent.-New York Ledger.