The Therapeutical Society of New York.

Date:
[1879?]
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: The Therapeutical Society of New York. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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    was reduced to two ounces and tr. opii added. This leaves 30 cases in which the treatment had a more or less thorough trial. Of these, 10 showed no effect which could fairly be attributed to the injections. Some were improving before the treatment was begun, and continued improving at about the same rate during its continuance. Others were losing ground, and their downward tendency seemed not to he checked in any appreci¬ able degree. These cases have therefore been regarded as not affected either way by the treatment. We have, therefore, 20 cases left in which positive benefit seems to have attended the use of the blood. This benefit was expressed sometimes by a decided gain in weight, in other cases by improved appetite and increased vigor, in others by cessation of night-sweats or by diminished cough. The difficulty in estimating accurately the effect of any treatment in phthisis must be borne in mind, as the condition of the patient under any plan is liable to considerable fluctuations. In these observations, how¬ ever, the point principally kept in view was the effect upon nutrition, it being taken for granted that anything which improves nutrition exerts a favorable influence upon the progress of the case. It must not be forgotten that the hospital patients were all of them re¬ ceiving already the usual house treatment, consisting of cod-liver oil and, in advanced cases, whisky or brandy, with expectorants and anodynes as indicated, and atropine, sulphuric acid, oxide of zinc, etc., for night-sweats when present, together with quinine if the temperature was high. The enemata of blood were simply added to this treatment, so that it may fairly be claimed that the benefit which followed was over and above what might have been expected from the usual methods. Cases I. to VIII. include those already mentioned in which the ene¬ mata were not retained. Case IX. Reported by Dr. George Bayles.—Girl, twelve years old. Phthisis. Quantity given not stated. Much improved. In six weeks gained four pounds in weight. Night-sweats ceased, cough abated, appetite improved. Case X. Dr. Bayles.—Man, forty-five years of age. Phthisis. Blood used for twenty days, when the treatment was given up on acount of diarrhoea. Case XI. Dr. Bayles.—Woman. Phthisis, third stage. Blood used alter¬ nately with milk, eggs, etc., by rectum. Patient sustained for a while, but finally sank and died. Case XII. Reported by Dr. O. B. Douglas.—Young lady. Phthisis, second stage. Coughed badly ; no appetite ; greatly emaciated; frequent vomiting; slept but poorly, and had exhausting night-sweats. Ordered three ounces blood by enema twice daily. Coughed less and slept better the night following. Injections increased gradually to five ounces three times a day. In twenty-four days weight increased about five pounds, and there was marked improvement in every respect. The dejections seldom showed traces of blood.
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