The use of pepsine in the diarrhoea of infants / by James S. Hawley, M.D.

  • Hawley, J. S. (James S.)
Date:
1871
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: The use of pepsine in the diarrhoea of infants / by James S. Hawley, M.D. Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material has been provided by the Harvey Cushing/John Hay Whitney Medical Library at Yale University, through the Medical Heritage Library. The original may be consulted at the Harvey Cushing/John Hay Whitney Medical Library at Yale University.

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    J}, Am. Pulv. Pepsine. Bismutbi Sub nit. aa 3 ss. M. et pulv. ft. No. viii; S half powder before nursing. July 29th. Better; continued powders for 4 days. Cured with- out further trouble. Of course the writer does not intend to exhalt pepsine to the position of a specific in infantile diarrhoea. It is only claimed that its use is one step in the right direction ; that it is capable of remov- ing one of the principle predisposing causes, to wit: the impairment of the digestive function by the evolution which occurs at the period of dentition, and of preventing the irritation which attends the passage and decomposition of undigested food. A favorite observation of the writer is, to mark the gradual dis- appearance of undigested food and feior from the evacuations, reel- ing assured that so much, at least, is well and in the right direction, whether the case proceeds favorably or not. Many other considera- tions influence the course of the disease, and these indications must be met by their proper remedies, according to the judgment of the practitioner. I will close this hasty and imperfect paper by commending pep- sine to a fair trial in the treatment of infantile diarrhsea, especially during the period of dentition. It has no noxious or perturbing qualities. It has physiological reasons in its favor, and has, to some extent, borne the test of experience.