Medical Sketches of the Expedition to Egypt, from IndiaMcGrigor, James, Sir
History
Medical Sketches of the Expedition to Egypt, from India
McGrigor, James, Sir
Great Britain. Army -- Sanitary affairs; Medicine, Military
In the treatment of this disease, the first indication was, to clear the
primæ viæ. Some gentlemen exhibited emetics; but in general there was
no time for this. The general practice at last was, to begin by giving
a purge of calomel, and the general remark was, that, if it operated
briskly, the head was relieved and the skin became soft.
The second indication most generally agreed upon, was the inducing
ptyalism and perspiration. As offering the fairest prospect of effecting
both at once, Mr Price proposed using the warm nitric-acid bath, but
unfortunately our stock of nitric-acid was insufficient to do this,
otherwise than on a small scale. Mr Price got a little of the acid at El
Hammed; but, from circumstances there, he could not always have the warm
bath; however, he writes, “On three of my patients, whose gums I could
not readily affect with mercury, I determined to try the nitric-acid
bath: it has shewn wonderful effects, ptyalism has been produced in all
the three; but the cold has regularly induced rigors and severe attacks
of fever, and I shall loose my patients.”
Nitric acid was given internally; and, where the patients would drink
it, it shewed good effects. Mr O’Farrel, at Aboukir, succeeded in making
three dragoons take it much diluted as their common drink; and they did
well all of them.
Mr Price thought well of citric acid. In some of the Arabs he effected
cures by this, and by a bath of strong vinegar.
Both Mr Rice and Mr Price were in the habit of washing their patients
with vinegar and sponging them with it, as strong as it could be
procured, or with lime-juice. They dipped rags in the acids, and kept
them constantly applied to the buboes. The head and stomach were relieved
by wet cloths being kept to the scrotum.
The third indication was, to obviate the debility which appeared always
to be very great. With this view, bark, wine, and opium, were very
largely given; and, at a certain stage, the cold bath.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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