North American Medical and Surgical Journal, Vol. 2, No. 3, July, 1826Various
History
North American Medical and Surgical Journal, Vol. 2, No. 3, July, 1826
Various
Medicine -- Periodicals
In a former part of these remarks, I suggested the opinion, that the
yellow fever is a gastro-duodenic inflammation, (perhaps of a specific
kind,) and that it required a mode of treatment appropriate to this
morbid state; but proportioned to the strength of the patient, to the
violence of the attack, and to the power of re-action. In general,
however, I have not found active depletion by the lancet, as easily
borne in this, as in bilious and other fevers;--the disease assuming
more rapidly, under this plan, a state of prostration or adynamia. Nor
can this appear surprising, since the same circumstance of a disease
being of an inflammatory nature, but, under a peculiar condition of the
system, contraindicating ample depletion, is a subject of frequent
notice during certain epidemics; for example, of scarlatina, pneumonia,
&c. With the exception of those cases, therefore, occurring in very
robust and plethoric constitutions, and accompanied with much pain in
the head, high febrile excitement, and hard pulse, either large or
small, I have seldom resorted freely to the lancet. When, however, these
symptoms presented themselves, especially the hardness of the pulse, I
have not been sparing of blood-letting, and have sometimes repeated it
several times with the most decided success. But even under these
circumstances, I have seldom found that _large_ bleedings were as
beneficial as small and repeated ones;--the system not reacting always
as energetically as could have been desired, and symptoms of prostration
occurring with much more rapidity. I do not recollect to have bled with
advantage, patients presenting a large, full, but _compressible_ pulse,
owing to the want of reaction; although the other symptoms might seem to
indicate the propriety of the practice. The effect of bleeding on the
vomiting was very different in this, from what I mentioned it to have
been in the bilious fevers of the West Indies; owing probably to the
circumstance, that, when, in yellow fever, the irritation of the stomach
became sufficiently violent to give rise to this symptom, the state of
the system was very often such as to contraindicate the use of the
lancet.
The application of scarified and dry cups to the epigastrium and head,
when there existed pain in these regions, was often resorted to, and
afforded much relief. And I very much regret, that, during our
epidemics, it was out of my power to make use of leeches to the former
part, as so warmly recommended, at the present day, by the French and
Spanish physicians; as I am inclined to the opinion, from the view I
have adopted respecting the pathology of the disease, that, used early
and in large numbers, they would prove very serviceable.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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