A few facts respecting the therapeutic use of pure oxygen, forgotten by the faculty but of peculiar importance to suffering invalids and their physicians / by S.B. Birch.

Date:
1857
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: A few facts respecting the therapeutic use of pure oxygen, forgotten by the faculty but of peculiar importance to suffering invalids and their physicians / by S.B. Birch. 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.

    12/28 page 10
    I medical science, although they have been forgotten oj overlooked by the faculty. SEVERE DIAEIiHCEA (cHILD DYING). This was the child of Mrs. Forder (late rocking-woman to her Eoyal Highness the Princess Charlotte of Wales), which from its birth was weak and delicate.—Had tolerably good health until two months old when a complaint in the bowels came on. Several medical gentlemfr of high standing attended during a period of three weeks, yet. n. withstanding, the disease progressed, until the child was pronounce, in a hopeless state, with but a few hours to live. Ordinary medical aid being thus of no avail, the distressed mother at a dernier resort was induced to try oxygen treatment. The child wai conveyed some distance in a carriage, and upon reaching Dr. Hill'i house appeared in the jaws of death. He thought it dying, but immediately forced some oxygen into the lungs to give it a last chancf for life. The child almost immediately opened its eyes, presenth spiled, and left the house quite lively. i3y continuing the administra- tion of the gas daily for a short period, complete recovery of healtl and strength took place. GENERAL NERVOUS DEBILITY WITH PARALYSIS OF EYE-LIDS, &C Mr. Dodd, Silversmith, Aldersgate Street, from much confinement t< business and writing, felt great nervous debility. At length he became so much worse, with defective vision anc paralysis and pain of the eye-lids, that he was altogether incapacitatec ■ for business. Various medical practitioners of eminence were consultec ' witli partial but temporary benefit. Soon relapsing he was recommendec - to go to the sea-side. This, and subsequent courses of raedicin( -■ continued for a considerable pei-iod, checked his complaint for about tw< ' years, when all his former symptoms again appeared in anaggravatec • form. Vital air ^oxygen) was at length recommended. This treatmen he pursued for between one and two months, at the termination o which period his health was perfectly re established. Four or five ^■ years afterwards it was ascertained that he continued quite well. f::- DEFORMED CHEST WITH SCROFULOUS GLANDULAR SWELLINGS a: The son of George Ford, bookbinder, was weakly from infancy, anc his very narrow and ill-formed chest characterised a constitutior predisposed to debility and disease. At five years old, many scrofuloui swellings appeared on various parts of his body, accompanied by extreme weakness of body and torpor of mind. Various remedies producing nc f' effect, oxygen wa.s recommended. At the commencement of this treat i'- ment, the several ill-conditioned scrofulous tumours were discharging £ '■ '<. very offensive fluid; his pulse beat 100 in the minute , his countenance h- was cadaverous, &c. &e.—he was carried about not being able to walk i Six weeks afterwards this child was able to walk with ease to Dr. Hill's tr house; the glandular swellings which had been discharging for months m had healed; the chest had become more enlarged; torpor of mind was 5:
    digitised image 1
    digitised image 2
    digitised image 3