The ship captain's medical guide / compiled by Harry Leach ; revised by William Spooner.

Date:
1900
Catalogue details

Licence: In copyright

Credit: The ship captain's medical guide / compiled by Harry Leach ; revised by William Spooner. Source: Wellcome Collection.

    85/144 page 65
    DYSENTERY. Go South America, and some of ilie jMediterranean ports, particularly Alexandria and Odessa. The symptoms are well known to most cap- tains:— Looseness of the bowels, with much straining, stools more or less bloody, resulting in great general weakness. In nine-tenths of the cases that occur in East India and China ships, the sailors will tell you that they had dysentery in the country before sailing, and this probably for some weeks. If such a history be made out satisfactorily, you must let your patient have as much rest as possible, give him slop diet, continue his lime-juice, let him have 10 grains of Dover’s powder three times a day, 10 drops of lau- danum in an ounce of castor oil every third day, and plenty of warmth to the body. Leave off the lime- juice at the end of a week for a few days only, if it appears to aggravate the disease, hut under no other circumstances. This is the only useful treatment for such cases in the tropical seas; you will find that, when tem})erate latitudes are reached, your patient will almost invariably improve; and you may then give him 2 grains of quinine three times a day for several weeks. Arrowroot, sago, flour, rice, or any other light extras that you may have, are always well ex[)ended on such cases. If, however, you are ])erfectly satisfied that the disease has commenced for the first time in a man after the ship has put to F
    digitised image 1
    digitised image 2
    digitised image 3