The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1895-09-12
CASES or CHOLERA.

The every day logic of the treat
ment of cholera, with a layman's
description Of the methods employ
ed cannot fail to interest. In the
hospital here each physician pre-
scribes for himself for his patient or
patients. The majority of the |
doctors, however, have settled up
on one line of battling with the
bacillus. In the earlier stages the
intestines are washed with a saline
solution and liquids calculated to
conquer the acting poison are in
troduced into the stomach. The
agonies of the cramps receive at
tention. Usually the extremities
are cold as ice, general tempera-
ture low and pulse irregular, fail
ing, slow and weak.
The prisoner who was overcome
by the heat had a temperature
of no and until a short time
before his death high pulse. His
case was not extraordinary or typ
ical of cholera. When first seen by
the doctors he was in a comatose
condition, having just tainted after
"a l., eel
ity was at an ebb, and this is one
of the distinctive features of cholera
collapse, together with the huski-
ness Of voice. Later it was clear
that this was a coincidence of symp-
toms and that the man had no chol-
era.
The treatment that is now show
ing the best results and upon which
a number Of physicians base strong
est hopes is plain and reasonable.
The cholera poison or bacilli drive
from the blood the salt or acid
parts. These are separated with
lightning speed and sent away
with dreadful, devastating, weak
ening rush. The blood is i'm
poverished. 1t is no longer blood,
for a greater portion of its essential
has been stolen. There remains in
the veins heavy, half dead liquid
that the heart finds distasteful and
that the conduits seem unable to
handle. To replace that which has
been filched from the fluid of life is
the problem which confronts the
physician. To make the dark,
muggy, motionless stuff real blood
again with all the functions of blood,
is the great task. This can be
done. 1t is being done. The pro-
cess is to inject into main artery in
the side fluid that replenishes the
blood, that takes the place of what
has been carried away. The
substitute seems to lie all instant
in great lumpy deposit beneath
the skin. 1t pauses there like
homing pigeon spying for course.
Then it goes into the residuum Of
the blood. The heart finds some
thing with which to mend itself
and its machinery. 1t supplies a
pure food for life itself. And the
patient mends. The drain ceases
to be felt. The myriads of little
fends find their work useless.
To further assist vitality, to
strengthen the weakened spinal
chord, a powerful tonic or stimulant
is used hypodermically. The
patient is not strong, but he feels
better than he ever did before in
his life and as fearful thoughts are
dissipated and as the view of the
gates of death dissolves, he says:
Cholera is only an ordinary sick
ness after all. The doctors can
cure it. l am all right now"
But if the little murderous thieves
that must be magnifed 1000 times
before they are visible to sharp
eyes, should prevail. Then the
patient thinks those things that
come to the dying and his physical
being is destroyed and his soul
takes fight to the Great White
Throne.