A treatise on syphilis in new-born children and infants at the breast / by P. Diday ; translated by G. Whitley.

  • Charles-Paul Diday
Date:
1859
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: A treatise on syphilis in new-born children and infants at the breast / by P. Diday ; translated by G. Whitley. Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material has been provided by King’s College London. The original may be consulted at King’s College London.

    278/292 page 262
    VII.—Wkair is the duration of a course of anti-syphilitic treatment in infants ? It is evident that no absolute rule can be laid down on this point. The duration of the treatment depends,, first of all, upon the severity of the disease. The more the latter compromises the patient’s life, the more important it is, by the prolonged use of re- medies, radically to destroy its germs, and to prevent relapses. As a general rule, then, the syphilis which attacks the viscera and weakens the constitution will necessitate a longer course of treat- ment than that of which the effects consist only in the eruption of erytherno-papular syphilodermata, without any deeper lesion of the vital powers. Secondly, if the remedies cannot be given to the child except through the medium of the nurse, while their efficacy, by this channel, is less, we can understand that it will be prudent to make up, by the aid of a larger administration, for the insuffi- ciency connected with the special mode of their introduction into the economy. Sometimes also very active treatment is indis- pensable to subdue threatening symptoms: but, when once the danger has been overcome, we must relax the rigour of our pre- scriptions which might, themselves, produce bad results. In seeking to determine the time to be devoted to the cure, we must also take into account the variations which the doses have undergone, whether it be that they have been lessened from prudential motives, or that a little irritation of the digestive passages or commencing salivation has forced us to diminish them, or even to suspend for a time the administration of the remedies. The employment of specific remedies must be continued some time after every manifestation of syphilis has disappeared. All pathologists agree on this point, but we must eschew the excess of caution which leads to an almost indefinite perseverance in the administration of them. By continuing them without reserve, we accustom the organism to their action; and Ave thus deprive thera- peutics of resources which it is impossible to affirm miglit not be required ultimately, nothing being more common tlian relapses, which decrease in severity progressively it is true, of the most methodically treated syphilitic diatliesis. The practitioner Avill therefore take care to observe a circumspect mean in this respect
    digitised image 1
    digitised image 2
    digitised image 3