Contributions to aural surgery / [W.R. Wilde].

  • William Wilde
Date:
1844-1848
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Contributions to aural surgery / [W.R. Wilde]. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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    essential oils, oil and laudanum, camphorated spirit, the volatile liniment, and such other stimulating substances are unmercifully dropped into the ear. And if it be a grown person, in addi¬ tion to all these, the friends will often have a large clove of garlic* forcibly thrust into the meatus, and a hot poultice of roasted onions applied to the auricle, or a piece of salt fat bacon is crammed into the meatus,—a very good remedy, by the way, for some cases of extreme dryness and want of cerumenous se¬ cretion, but worse than inapplicable in this instance. The dis¬ ease proceeds, and days and nights of extreme anguish, attended with much restlessness and anxiety, are passed by the sufferer. No examination is made all this time of the parts affected, but purgatives are freely administered, and perhaps a blister is ap¬ plied over the mastoid process. At length suppuration ensues, and when the discharge has been fully established relief is expe¬ rienced; the disease then becomes chronic, the discharge pro¬ fuse, flaky, discoloured, and frequently foetid; partial deafness follows, but the constitution suffering little, there is not much attention paid to the disease. If treatment be employed in this stage further than keeping the parts clean by syringing with hot water, in what does such consist ? In again having recourse to nostrums of a still more empirical and violently stimulating na¬ ture than at first, as tincture of cantharidis, oil of originum, creosote, and the most violent escarotics, which are dropped into the meatus; and in order to exclude the air, and keep in the discharge, balls of black wool are crammed into the ears. Should the friends or the patient seek still further and more distinguished advice, they are told to make their minds perfectly easy about the matter, that it is entirely a constitu¬ tional affection, and as the person gains strength and years the discharge will cease, hearing return, and all be well,—but that at this period it were not advisable to arrest the dis¬ charge,—an issue is inserted in the arm, and they are recom- | I have seen three cases during the past year of violent inflammation of the membrana tympani and meatus caused by the improper use of this substance.
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