The modern practice of physic : exhibiting the characters, causes, symptoms, prognostics, morbid appearances, and improved method of treating the diseases of all climates / by Robert Thomas, M.D., of Salisbury.

  • Robert Thomas
Date:
1813
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: The modern practice of physic : exhibiting the characters, causes, symptoms, prognostics, morbid appearances, and improved method of treating the diseases of all climates / by Robert Thomas, M.D., of Salisbury. Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material has been provided by the Francis A. Countway Library of Medicine, through the Medical Heritage Library. The original may be consulted at the Francis A. Countway Library of Medicine, Harvard Medical School.

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    the sick feit the first approach of an attack, they were sure to run to the cockpit for relief. A dose of linctura opii was then aaniinistered ; ii the first dose did not bring on some warmth in the spiice of ten or fifteen mhiutes, from twelve to twenty drops more Avere given. He never gave less than thirty drops the first time, and never h;id occasion to go beyond sixty in the space of an hour, for in no case did the remedy tail, we are informed, to give relief in this time. He further reports, that in a few minutes fiom the exhibition of the opiate, an exhilaration of spirits was perceived, Avhich was quickly fol- lowed by a relaxation of tiie surface, the countenance looked cheerful, and a flush was spread on the chdek. Tne pulse, from being Aveak, quick, and sometimes irregular, became less frequerit, full, and equal; an agreeable warmth was diffused over the whole frame, and every un- pleasant feeling vanished, sometimes in a quarter of aii hour- Sleep now and then followed a large dose; but this did not in general happen. As soon as any symptoms indicated another paroxysm, Avhether on the following day or not, till the tertian interval, the tinctura opii was re- peated in the same manner as in the former fit, and always with equal success; so that the patient seldom experienced much trembling or shaking. He adds, the second paroxysm Avas commonly arji hour or tAVo later in the day than the preceding one, and but few instances occurred where any indisposition indicated a third attack at the expected period of accession. The very patients themselves, he obsei'ves, were not a little surpiised at the sudden change in their sensations, by so small a quan- tity of medicine, and that they were certainly the completest cures Avhich ever came under his observation. In the Medical Commentaries for the years 1794 and 1797, pub- lished by Doctor Duncan, Ave are informed by Mr. George Kellie, an ingenious navy surgeon, of the good effects of compression by the tourniquet, in stopping the cold fit of intermittents, and several in- stances are related of tiiis curious fact. The plan pursued by iiim was to apply the instrument on one thigh and on one arm of opposite sides, at the same time. In two minutes after the application of the tourni- quets, the shaking and other sym-ptoms of the cold stage entirely ceased, a mild hot stage was immediately induced, and the patient found him- self quite relieved. After suffering the instruments to remain on for about fifteen minutes, they were removed, and the cold symptoms did not return. From various trials Avhich Mr. Kellie made, he concludes, first, that if at any time during the cold fit of an intermittent, toumiq^uets be so applied as to obstruct the circulation in two of the extremities (for example, one on the subclavian, and the other on the iliac of opposite sides,) the hot fit Avill be induced in about three minutes afterwards: secondly, that if the tourniquets be applied previous to the accession of the paroxysm, the cold stage will be entirely prevented; and thirdly, that where the cold stage of an ague is either thus shortened, or alto- gether prevented, the folloAving hot stage ',vil] be rPT.?lP2'(xi hoth rniM.er and of shorter duration.
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