Lectures on the malarial fevers / by William Sydney Thayer.

  • William Sydney Thayer
Date:
1898
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Lectures on the malarial fevers / by William Sydney Thayer. Source: Wellcome Collection.

    331/356 (page 311)
    Chronic Malarial Cachexia.—The treatment of chronic malarial cachexia is often a very difficult matter. For acute malarial symptoms when parasites are present in the blood, vigorous treatment with quinine should be at once instituted. It is important, if possible, in all these cases to remove the patient to a healthy region. While, generally, prolonged and judicious treatment will result in recovery wherever the pa- tient be, yet there are instances in which little headway is made without removal to more healthy regions, while in the meantime the patient is subject to all manner of secondary infections. The invalid should be kept quiet; all undue ex- ercise should be forbidden ; the diet should be nourishing and simple. The patient should be allowed to be as much as pos- sible in the fresh air and in the sun, providing it be not too hot. Bitter tonics, particularly strychnine, are often of value. The ansemia should be treated particularly by arsenic. Indeed, in cases of long-continued malarial cachexia more beneficial results are to be obtained through arsenical treat- ment than by any other steps, excepting the removal of the patient to healthy regions. A very considerable proportion of the cases of malarial cachexia owe their origin to the care- lessness of the patient, who does not carry out proper treat- ment with quinine, and fails to observe ordinary prophylactic precautions. Post-malarial Nephritis.—There is nothing special to be noted with regard to the treatment of nephritis following malaria. Complications.—In the treatment of any process compli- cating malaria the first step should always be to put an end to the malarial infection by the proper use of quinine. The complicating process may then be treated according to the usual methods.