Year: 1875




The recent deaths from pneumonia
have created feeling of apprehension
on the part of the public that the dis
eage has assumed the form OF an cpl
demic, or that it has assumed proper
tions beyond the reach of skillful physl-
clans. This is regarded as false i'm
preston by physicians, who aver that
simple pneumonia viii pursue steady
and brief course for a week or ten days,
when it will terminate favorably without
any further treatment than good nursing;
and in the more severe forms which 1t
assumes it only requires the addition Oh
supporting treatment, especially the use
of quinine and N lid stimulation. Ihele
was time when vigorous depletion was
considered the duty of every physician
at the outset of pneumonia, often Will
the view of completely checking it, and
in its earlier stages, for the purpose OF
shortening its duration and limiting the
extent of lung involved, and the pro-
lonpation of the disease. Blood-letting,
as method of routine treatment, has
been abandoned, not only in pneumonia,
but in all infammatory diseases. AT the
same time there is growing opinion
among many physicians that the utter
abandonment of bleeding is natural
reaction from its former abuse, and that
there may occur in the experience OF any
physician cases of extreme congestion OF
incipient inflammation in which the
withdrawal of blood will be indicated as
sure and immediate means OF r1ue1'
As, however, cases of infammatory DIS
ease are seldom seen until the process
has been in a measure established, IL
there is a withdrawal of blood 1t lowers
the vitality of the system, which Will be
required to pass through the natural
period of the disease and insure sue
cessful removal of the inflammatory de-
posit. And all the blood withdrawn
must be restored by subsequent vigorous
supporting treatment. Following the
method of depletion, various remedies
supposed to have sedatlVe influence
upon the nervous system, and to lessen
the Elasticity of the blood, were extern
sively used. Such treatment IS still IN a
measure employed, with vlsw OF
diminishing the extent of intiammatory
action, but, us a rule, Combined with
tonics and liberal diet.


It would be impossible to enumerate
the various articles which are employed
or the numerous classes of remedies
used, but the diversity of remedies does
not argue any essential difference IN the
mode of treatment, the particular artl-
cles employed individually by different
physicians having substantially the same
effect. With view of diminishing the
action of the heat and lessening the local
congestion, elevated temperature, and
rapid pulse, one physician would use
aconite, while another would prescribe
veratrum viride. or digitalis, all OF which
would subserve the same purpose.
There is, however, general recognition
of a few simple principles in the treat
ment of pneumonia: to relieve the ex-
treme exhaustive pain in the side; TO
raduce the temperature of the body, or
at least control the destructive teOrhe
action of which the elevated temperature
is the exponent. and by regulating the
action of the heart and the violence and
raniditv of the circulation, to restrict the
inAammatory process to as limited al
amountof lung tissues as possible. FROM
this stage of the disease one general
method of treatment is pursued; that Is
to SO thoroughly restrain the patient by
rich concentrated food and tonlcs' es-
pecially calisaya bark or qunlne' ana
when necessary the administrator Oh
alcoholic stimulants, thus enabling inc
patient to convalesce rapidly with COM
plete restoration of the lungs to healthy
state.


A well known New York physician says
the disease is to a certain extent subject
to atmospheric influences, and mas "
yery close connection with those aiI@ct-
ing diphtheria and cerebro spinal menln-
gifts. 1t was more fatal among people
between the ages of twenty and forty,
and those who had passed the age OF
sixty years. Persons between the ages
of forty and sixty were seldom attacked
by it. The nature of the disease, he
said, was inflammation of the lungs, and
the exciting causes were exposure OF the
body to extreme cold or prolonged chllls.
The predisposing causes, he sald, were
malaria, the undue use of alcohohc
stimulants, and unknown atmospheric
changes such as are present when certain
malarial diseases are prevalent. The
disease might also be developed by the
inhalation of sewer gases. The symp-
toms manifested themselves in the
patient by distinct chill, lasting from
half an hour to two or three hours, fol-
lowed by pain in the side of several
hours duration, accompanied by high
fever, hacking cough and rapid respira-
ton, and hemorrhage. The possible
danger of death was to be apprehended
between the fifth and ninth days.