Part 35

A Clergyman was seized with a Dysentery, which was not in the least mitigated by any Medicines he had taken. By meer Chance he saw some red Currans; he longed for them, and eat three Pounds of them between seven and nine o'Clock in the Morning; that very Day he became better, and was entirely well on the next.

I could greatly enlarge the Number of such Instances; but these may suffice to convince the most incredulous, whom I thought it might be of some Importance to convince. Far from forbidding good Fruit, when Dysenteries rage, the Patients should be encouraged to eat them freely; and the Directors of the Police, instead of prohibiting them, ought to see the Markets well provided with them. It is a Fact of which Persons, who have carefully informed themselves, do not in the least doubt. Experience demonstrates it, and it is founded in Reason, as good Fruit counter-operates all the Causes of Dysenteries.

The Experience of all Countries and Times so strongly confirms these important Truths, that they cannot be too often repeated, too generally published, whenever and wherever this Disease rages. The Succession of cold Showers to violent Heats; too moist a Constitution of the Air; an Excess of animal Food; Uncleanliness and Contagion, are the frequent Causes of epidemical Fluxes. E. L.

I have retained the preceding Note, abridged from this Gentleman, as it contains the Suffrage of another experienced Physician, against that Prejudice of ripe Fruits occasioning Fluxes, which is too popular among ourselves, and probably more so in the Country than in London. I have been also very credibly assured, that the Son of a learned Physician was perfectly cured of a very obstinate Purging, of a Year's Continuance (in Spite of all the usual officinal Remedies) by his devouring large Quantities of ripe Mulberries, for which he ardently longed, and drinking very freely of their expressed Juice. The Fact occurred after his Father's Decease, and was affirmed to me by a Gentleman intimately acquainted with them both. K.

Sec. 340. It is important and even necessary, that each Subject of this Disease should have a Close-stool or Convenience apart to himself, as the Matter discharged is extremely infectious: and if they make Use of Bed-pans, they should be carried immediately out of the Chamber, the Air of which should be continually renewed, burning Vinegar frequently in it.

It is also very necessary to change the Patient's Linen frequently; without all which Precautions the Distemper becomes more violent, and attacks others who live in the same House. Hence it is greatly to be wished the People in general were convinced of these Truths.

It was Boerhaave's Opinion, that all the Water which was drank, while Dysenteries were epidemical, should be stummed, as we term it, or sulphurized.

Our learned Author, or his medical Editor at Lyons, observes here, 'that in the Edition of this Treatise at Paris, there was an essential Mistake, by making Boerhaave recommend the Addition of Brandy, Eau de vie, instead of stumming or sulphurizing it,' for which this Note, and the Text too use the Verb branter, which Word we do not find in any Dictionary. We are told however, it means to impregnate the Casks in which the Water is reserved, with the Vapour of Sulphur, and then stopping them; in the same Manner that Vessels are in some Countries, for the keeping of Wine. He observes the Purpose of this is to oppose Corruption by the acid Steams of the Sulphur. K.

Sec. 341. It has happened, by some unaccountable Fatality, that there is no Disease, for which a greater Number of Remedies are advised, than for the Dysentery. There is scarcely any Person but what boasts of his own Prescription, in Preference to all the rest, and who does not boldly engage to cure, and that within a few Hours, a tedious severe Disease, of which he has formed no just Notion, with some Medicine or Composition, of whose Operation he is totally ignorant: while the poor Sufferer, restless and impatient, swallows every Body's Recommendation, and gets poisoned either through Fear, downright Disgust or Weariness, or through entire Complaisance. Of these many boasted Compositions, some are only indifferent, but others pernicious. I shall not pretend to detail all I know myself, but after repeatedly affirming, that the only true Method of Cure is that I have advised here, the Purpose of which is evacuating the offending Matter; I also affirm that all those Methods, which have a different Scope or Drift, are pernicious; but shall particularly observe, that the Method most generally followed, which is that of stopping the Stools by Astringents, or by Opiates, is the worst of all, and even so mortal a one, as to destroy a Multitude of People annually, and which throws others into incurable Diseases. By preventing the Discharge of these Stools, and inclosing the Wolf in the Fold, it either follows, 1, that this retained Matter irritates and inflames the Bowels from which Inflammation excruciating Pains arise, an acute inflammatory Cholic, and finally a Mortification and Death; or a Schirrhus, which degenerates into a Cancer, (of which I have seen a dreadful Instance) or else an Abscess, Suppuration and Ulcer. Or 2, this arrested Humour is repelled elsewhere, producing a Scirrhus in the Liver, or Asthmas, Apoplexy, Epilepsy, or Falling Sickness; horrible rheumatic Pains, or incurable Disorders of the Eyes, or of the Teguments, the Skin and Surface.

A first or second Dose of Glauber Salt has been known to succeed in the epidemical Summer Fluxes of the hotter Climates, when repeated Doses of Rhubarb and Opiates had failed. Such Instances seems a collateral Confirmation of Dr. Tissot's rational and successful Use of cooling opening Fruits in them. K.

Such are the Consequences of all the astringent Medicines, and of those which are given to procure Sleep in this Disease, as Venice Treacle, Mithridate and Diascordium, when given too early in Dysenteries.

I have been consulted on Account of a terrible Rheumatism, which ensued immediately after taking a Mixture of Venice Treacle and Plantain, on the second Day of a Dysentery.

As those who advise such Medicines, are certainly unaware of their Consequences, I hope this Account of them will be sufficient, to prevent their Repetition.

Sec. 342. Neither are Purges without their Abuse and Danger; they determine the Course of all the Humours more violently to the tender afflicted Parts; the Body becomes exhausted; the Digestions fail; the Bowels are weakened, and sometimes even lightly ulcerated, whence incurable Diarrhoeas or Purgings ensue, and prove fatal after many Years Affliction.

Sec. 343. If the Evacuations prove excessive, and the Distemper tedious, the Patient is likely to fall into a Dropsy; but if this is immediately opposed, it may be removed by a regular and drying Diet, by Strengthners, by Friction and proper Exercise.

_Chapter XXV._

Of the Itch.

_Sect._ 344.

The Itch is an infectious Disorder contracted by touching infected Persons or Cloaths, but not imbibed from the Air: So that by carefully avoiding the Medium, or Means of Contagion, the Disorder may be certainly escaped.

Though any Part of the Body may be infested with the Itch, it commonly shews itself on the Hands, and chiefly between the Fingers. At first one or two little Pimples or Pustules appear, filled with a kind of clear Water, and excite a very disagreeable Itching. If these Pustules are broke by scratching them, the Water oozing from them infects the neighbouring Parts. At the Beginning of this Infection it can scarcely be distinguished, if a Person is not well apprized of its Nature; but in the Progress of it, the little Pustules increase both in Number and Size; and when they are opened by scratching, a loathsome kind of Scab is formed, and the Malady extends over the whole Surface. Where they continue long, they produce small Ulcers, and are at that Time highly contagious.

Sec. 345. Bad Diet, particularly the Use of Salt Meat, bad unripe Fruit, and Uncleanliness occasion this Disease; though it is oftnest taken by Contagion. Some very good Physicians suppose it is never contracted otherwise; but I must take Leave to dissent, as I have certainly seen it exist without Contagion.

When it happens to a Person, who cannot suspect he has received it by Contact, his Cure should commence with a total Abstinence from all Salt, sour, fat and spicy Food. He should drink a Ptisan of wild and bitter Succory, or that of No. 26, five or six Glasses of which may be daily taken; at the End of four or five Days, he may be purged with No. 21, or with an Ounce of Sedlitz [or Epsom] Salt. His Abstinence, his Regimen is to be continued; the Purge to be repeated after six or seven Days; and then all the Parts affected, and those very near them, are to be rubbed in the Morning fasting, with a fourth Part of the Ointment No. 52. The three following Days the same Friction is to be repeated, after which the same Quantity of Ointment is to be procured, and used in the same Proportion; but only every other Day. It happens but seldom that this Method fails to remove this disagreeable Malady; sometimes however it will return, in which Case, the Patient must be purged again, and then recur to the Ointment, whose good Effects I have experienced, and continually do.

If the Disease has been very lately contracted, and most certainly by Contact, the Ointment may be fearlessly employed, as soon as it is discovered, without taking any Purge before it. But if, on the contrary, the Disease has been long neglected, and has rose to a high Degree, it will be necessary to restrain the Patient a long Time to the Regimen I have directed; he must be repeatedly purged, and then drink plentifully of the Ptisan No. 26, before the Ointment is rubbed in. When the Malady is thus circumstanced, I have always begun with the Ointment No. 28, half a Quarter of which is to be used every Morning. I have also frequently omitted the Use of that No. 52, having always found the former as certain, but a little slower in its Effects.

Sec. 346. While these Medicines are employed, the Patient must avoid all Cold and Wet, especially if he makes Use of No. 28, in which there is Quick-silver; which, if such Precautions were neglected, might bring on a Swelling of the Throat and Gums, and even rise to a Salivation. Yet this Ointment has one Advantage in its having no Smell, and being susceptible of an agreeable one; while it is very difficult to disguise the disagreeable Odour of the other.

The Linen of a Person in this Disease ought to be often changed; but his upper Cloaths must not be changed: because these having been infected, might, when worn again, communicate the Itch to the Wearer again, after he had been cured.

Shirts, Breeches and Stockings may be fumigated with Sulphur, before they are put on; and this Fumigation should be made in the open Air.

I have seen a pretty singular Consequence from the Abuse of mercurial Unction for the Itch; whether it happened from the Strength or Quantity of the Ointment, or from taking Cold after applying it, as this Subject, a healthy Youth of about sixteen, probably did, by riding three or four Miles through the Rain. But without any other previous Complaint, he awoke quite blind one Morning, wondering, as he said, when it would be Day. His Eyes were very clear, and free from Inflammation, but the Pupil was wholly immoveable, as in a Gutta serena. I effected the Cure by some moderate Purges repeated a few Times; by disposing him to sweat by lying pretty much in Bed (it being towards Winter) and by promoting his Perspiration, chiefly with Sulphur: after which the shaved Scalp was embrocated with a warm nervous Mixture, in which Balsam of Peru was a considerable Ingredient. In something less than three Weeks he could discern a glowing Fire, or the bright Flame of a Candle. As his Sight increased, he discerned other Objects, which appeared for some Days inverted to him, with their Colours confused; but Red was most distinguishable. He discovered the Aces sooner than other Cards; and in about six or seven Weeks recovered his full Sight in all its natural Strength, which he now enjoys. K.

Sec. 347. If this Disorder becomes very inveterate and tedious, it exhausts the Patient, in Consequence of its not suffering him to sleep at Nights, as well as by his restless Irritation; and sometimes even brings on a Fever, so that he falls away in Flesh, and his Strength abates.