Medico-chymical dissertations on the causes of the epidemic called yellow fever : and on the best antimonial preparations for the use of medicine / by a physician, practitioner in Philadelphia.

  • Félix Pascalis Ouvière
Date:
1796
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Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Medico-chymical dissertations on the causes of the epidemic called yellow fever : and on the best antimonial preparations for the use of medicine / by a physician, practitioner in Philadelphia. Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material has been provided by the National Library of Medicine (U.S.), through the Medical Heritage Library. The original may be consulted at the National Library of Medicine (U.S.)

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    [ ] the moll beneficial moifhue, abated its fermentation, open cd the pores, and tranfmitted into it as much water as that animal fluid feemed want, and very foon helped the frame in producing a gentle evacuation of the im- purities of its decompofnion. If, according to what we have (aid above, fome relaxing effe6l of the nervous fyf- tem is to be feared, let us fortify the patient by fome fpi- rituous, aromatic and cordial medicines. That relaxation in another refpeft is ufeful, becaufe it is diametrically oppo- fed to fuch fpafms, irritations and inflammations as the dif- eafe is continually marked with. Venefeftion, proportion- ed to the violence of the fyrnptoms, and to the ftrength of the patient, ought to be ordered before taking the warm bath, in which the patient fhould flay no longer than one hour, and no lefs than a quarter of an hour. The fecond indication, which requires repeated evacua- tions of the morbific matter, refulting from the decompofi- tion of the blood, ought to be aftive and efficacious to pre- vent the rapid progrefs either of the inflammation or putri- dity. Any fixed internal pain, dullnefs of the pulfe, pref- fure of the bread and ftomach, therefore, demand repeated bleedings*. If the patient is of a weak habit of body, or of an exceflive fatnefs, ftill it is better not to omit the bleeding, having recourfe immediately after to fliong epif- paftics, to raife the force of circulation. All thefe mea- fures being well managed with diluting and tonic draughts, there will be room and occafion to adminifler repeated ca- thartics, and even draftic medicines in a liquid form, en- * I am not acquainted with any new phyfiological fyftem upon blood letting in acute difeafes. The above recommendation is deri- ved entirdy°from our fyftem. Whenever the blood is in a ftate of putrid fermentation, we eppofe its progrefs by diminiuung the mafs and the quantity of that animal fluid. This indication, however, has its limits; whenever regular evacuations, whether by fweat or other fecretions, begin to be fettled, it is very momentous to pre- ferve the remaining organical forces. Happy thofe. who arrive at that period, without having been prompted to the abfolute annihila- tion of that laft mare of organical life and circulation, without which no difeafes are cured, nor health recovered !