Asiatic Cholera: A treatise on its origin, pathology, treatment, and cure — John Shaqi
Asiatic Cholera: A treatise on its origin, pathology, treatment, and cureWhitney, Elijah
History
Asiatic Cholera: A treatise on its origin, pathology, treatment, and cure
Whitney, Elijah
Cholera
Here we may ask, Will opium aid, or give the relief so urgently
demanded? However serviceable as an astringent and anodyne in the
premonitory stage of the disease, it cannot be exhibited in the second
stage to so good an advantage, as its direct influence is to aid and
promote congestion in those cases, where a tendency of this kind is
already in existence. Hence, its continuance in the true or collapse
stage of cholera is now generally considered faulty.
Once more: The auxiliaries employed in aid of the leading remedies
already noticed may be summed up in the language of the celebrated
Dr. Massy, in his instructions and directions on the subject of the
treatment now under consideration. He observes, "But, as you draw
blood, stimulate, give punch, brandy, or wine and water, or carbonate
of ammonia. Apply friction, with stimulating and hot liniments to the
extremities; warm sand-bags to the feet, sinapisms to the calves of the
legs and pit of the stomach; for, if you can once raise the pulse, the
chances in favor of recovery will be vastly increased."
To these directions there can be no special objections, except in the
first instance in which he, indirectly, commends the use of means
tending to deplete and depress the system, already brought by disease
to the very verge of utter exhaustion. Remedies of this tendency
are contra-indicated, and cannot, to say the least, be employed to
advantage.
Depressing remedies generally, instead of checking, or counteracting
the disease, will inevitably aid and hasten its fatal termination.
Stimulants, such as are prompt and diffusive in their character, must
be regarded as essential, and may be employed to great advantage. It
will be found, however, exceedingly difficult in most cases, even
where there is no depletion from bleeding, to keep up the waning
powers, and carry the patient, through this formidable disease, to
a favorable termination. Of the utility of warm applications to the
surface generally, there can be no question; yet, our main reliance is
on internal remedies, as has been already shown: the lost temperature
of the body must be restored, the production and diffusion of heat, or
caloric, must be internal through the administration of remedies, that
will promptly and kindly produce this result.
What are, then, the remedies? We have ventured in this discussion
to recommend the internal use of chloroform, and believe it will be
found in combination with other prompt and diffusive stimulants,
specially adapted to meet this condition. In this recommendation, we
feel ourselves fully sustained by the result of various experiments
heretofore made, and the recent trials of its use, as an internal
remedy in the various stages of the disease.
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