The Greenville times. [volume] (Greenville, Miss.) 1868-1917, 1897-09-22
A WELL KNOWS pOCTOR,h YIEWs.

WhhL hNOnN DUCiph n flhHps
The intelligent mon of the medical
roics,ion In this r"utry end else
where have long slae, acknowledged
hat so far as the tret meut of yellow
fever is concerned We have no specific
remedies for it. y purely typical
ease of yellow fever is not favorably
modified by the administration Of
medicines. This belief has oug since
found lodgment in the minds Of the
laity, aud In every community where
yellow fever has prevailed the people
think a patient i'll with yellow fever
is about as well of without the doctor
as with him. | have seen a great deal
of this dread malady, and | have OBJ
served many cases OF the disease, !
use the term "observe" advisedly, for,
having no faith in Tue efficacy of any
known plan of treatment gave my
patients only such treatment as special
symptoms called for, A purely typi-
cal case of yellow fever Is fever Of
one paroxysm, and that paroxysm
generally lasts about seyenty-;wo
hours,
AS l have observed already, this
fever is a fever of Que paroXysm
After that paroxysm subsidies the pa.
tient, as rule, say they feel very
well, This state of things continues
until the stage ofCollapse, or the "sink-
ing stage" comes on.
Now what causes this 'siuking stagC2
1t is nothing more or less than con-
dition of shock, and Is produced by
the adoption of tho septic matter gen.
Grated In the stomach aud Intestinal
tract during the fever,
The poison Of yellow fever what.
ever that may be. is eliminated by
aud through the mucuous membranes.
The stress Of this process of elimina-
tion falls upon the stomach, aud such
is the acrld character Of this poison
the muCus membranes are in large
patches destroyed aud slough of,
This process of sloughing leaves a
bleeaing surface, aud large quantities
oil blood Is thrown out into the stem
acb,
That tAia blood meets within the
stomach a viros of an acrid aud
poisonous nature is proved by the fact
that The blood is rapidly decomposed
by contact with it and blackeued to
the fullest degree.
Now, during the prevalence of thc
fever the function Of the stomach has
been completely reversed and the cur
rent of fluids has been setting to the
stomach snd not from 1t, as is natural.
When however, the ever has left the
patient the vital forces reassert them
selves, and after the lapse of a time
variable as to Its length the stomach
once more resumes It's proper fuuc-
tol and begins to absorb.
When this process OF absorption De
gins the stomach is wei. fp,ed with
this mass of blood, or black vomtt, p
and also th" poison which has SO act
ed Ion the blood. The stomach all
serbs the poison, and we have, as a
consequence, "shock" This 'shock''
constitutes the sinking stage" Death
often takes place in this stage, and if
life is prolonged through it, it is only
for day or two.
Sometimes the paticut survives the
absorption, and we have battle with
case of septicaemia. This septi-
caemio is not part of the disease,
but is q sequel of it.
Now, allowing that | am correct as
to my views as TO the real pathology
of the disease, what are we to do TO
prevent the absorption Of this poison'
Might not this be done by washing
out the stomach soon after subsidence
of the fever, and continuing to do SO
for some days afterwards?
am compelled to believe that good
will result from this course, aud | re-
spectfully suggest to those medical
gentlemen who have cases of the dis
case under their observation that they
try this plan of treatment. No harm
can come of it, and it may save the
lives of many.
S. d. ROBBINS, NJ. D.
-VIcksburg Post.