Volume 1

The modern practice of physic : exhibiting the symptoms, causes, prognostics, morbid appearances, and treatment of the diseases of all climates / Eleventh edition, thoroughly revised, corrected, and to a considerable extent re-written by A. Frampton.

  • Thomas, Robert, 1753-1835.
Date:
1853
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: The modern practice of physic : exhibiting the symptoms, causes, prognostics, morbid appearances, and treatment of the diseases of all climates / Eleventh edition, thoroughly revised, corrected, and to a considerable extent re-written by A. Frampton. Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material has been provided by Royal College of Physicians, London. The original may be consulted at Royal College of Physicians, London.

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    remedies, a strong chologoguo cathartic of calomel, ginger, and jalap or scammony, would a veil deserve a trial. We proceed to speak of the treatment of cholera when fully formed,—that is, after the vomitings and purgings of the peculiar rice-water fluid have set in ; when collapse is impending or actually present, the pulse at the wrist being scarcely, or not at all, per- ceptible ; the countenance of the patient haggard and ghastly, his eyes sunken, his features pinched and leaden, the skin of the hands shrivelled and cold and livid, his person moistened with a cold clammy perspiration, his limbs suffering from spasmodic pains of greater or less intensity, and his whole aspect being that of a moving corpse rather than of a living being. The patient ought immediately to be put into bed, and laid in a horizontal position between blankets which have been well heated with a warming-pan, and due heat be sustained by proper applications to various parts of the body,—such as small bags filled with sand, bran, or salt, previously made hot; or we may employ, if more convenient, small stone jars filled with boiling water: these will be appropriate applications for the hands, arms, thighs, legs, and feet. Where none of these are at hand, large tiles made warm, and covered with flannel, may be substituted. Due heat will be most conveniently applied over the chest and abdomen by means of the tin case known under the appellation of a stomach- warmer, filled with boiling water, which is to be refilled, as well as the stone jars, as soon as they lose the necessai’y warmth. We attach some weight to the remark which attributes little efficacy to the agency of external warmth in combating a disease no less fatal in its attacks under an Indian sun than in the tem- perate climate of Europe ; nevertheless, the general opinion of the profession seems decidedly in favour of the attempt to restore the natural temperature of the body by means of external applications. A simple method, recommended by Dr. Copland, is that of wrapping the patient in blankets wrung out of hot water, on which oil of turpentine has been sprinkled, and these, again, may be covered with dry blankets. Care should, however, be taken that the heat is not excessive, as much distress and little benefit are thereby produced. The external applications should be somewhat, but not very much, above the temperature natural to the body, and will require renewing from time to time as they cool. Hot air and hot vapour-baths are not now much in vogue. Besides external warmth, stimulating liniments to the extremities have been resorted to, with a view of exciting the capillary circulation. The friction is found, also, to alleviate the spasms. Oil of turpentine has been much used in this way; a liniment of considerable strength may, also, be made by mixing equal parts of the tincture of cantharides and liniment of ammonia; or the tincture of camphor may take the place of either of these. Any or all of these may be tried and continued with such perseverance, or resorted to with such fre- quency as experience of the advantage derived demands or en- courages. The general results, however, hitherto obtained have