Medical topography and statistics of the Presidency of Madras : compiled from the records of the Medical Board Office.

Date:
1843-1844
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Medical topography and statistics of the Presidency of Madras : compiled from the records of the Medical Board Office. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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

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    were the small intestines at all affected, and but seldom was any other organ diseased; the liver in all cases appeared healthy and the gall bladder contained healthy bile, the Inngs were generally pale and their structure normal. This disease as it usually occurs in the jail is tractable seldom resisting the usual treatment, in the epidemic how- ever under consideration, it was on the contrary very fatal i calomel was injurious, ipecacuanha and opium, with anodyne enemata being the most efficacious mode of treatment, when aided by astringents, tonics and a mild nourishing diet. Diarrhoea. Xhe cascs of diarrhoea occurred chieflv durinq: the above years, and may be said to have been a modification of the same disease; it v/as attended with an equal, if not a greater ratio of mortality, and the same post mortem appear- ances were observed as in the dysenteric cases, the exciting causes in both being the same, viz. extreme Avant and un- wholesome food. At the time that dysentery and diarrhoea were so frequent, the allowance of rice was diminished to half a seer, the quantity of condiments being at the same time increased as a prophylactic measure, with much advantage. Though pneumonia as already mentioned, has been frequent, but few cases of tubercular phthisis have occurred ; and hepatitis has scarcely been observed. Ulcers. Amongst the class of other diseases,” ulcers form a large number of the admissions, they are generally produced by the friction of the chain or iron fetters, on the legs and feet: they not unfrequently assume a sloughing charac- ter in persons of a bad habit of body; and in such cases constitutional as well as local treatment is requisite to induce a healing process. Tonics, with sulphuric or nitric acid, have been found very useful, and bark combined with stimulants, has likewise proved beneficial, with the local application of nitric acid in an undiluted state and hot dressings.