Dr Todd and the late member for Ashton : fatal effect of the stimulating treatment of disease (in a letter to the editor of the Medical Circular, February 29, 1860) : to which is added a short account of Dr Todd's professional career, and an epitome of his stimulating doctrine, with an answer to the fallacious charges brought against the author / A.B. Granville.

  • Augustus Granville
Date:
1860
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Dr Todd and the late member for Ashton : fatal effect of the stimulating treatment of disease (in a letter to the editor of the Medical Circular, February 29, 1860) : to which is added a short account of Dr Todd's professional career, and an epitome of his stimulating doctrine, with an answer to the fallacious charges brought against the author / A.B. Granville. Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material has been provided by The Royal College of Surgeons of England. The original may be consulted at The Royal College of Surgeons of England.

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    to the patient's great violence, the operation could not be accomplished : iu the coiu'se of the day, that violence, with incessant loquacity, increased. At the consultation in the middle of the day, finding the cupping defeated, Dr Bright suggested a small anodyne, the draught of which, though simple, was soon rejected, in consequence of which Mr Lavies gave some anodyne drops instead. At the second consultation in the evening, we found the patient more delirious and violent than ever ; his pulse 120, full and in- compressible ; eyes glistening ; vigorous action of the arms, and at one time threatenings to jump out of bed, declaring he would not submit to being kept in prison. On with- drawing from the bed-room, I expressed my opinion that unless cupping was again had recourse to, there was little chance of the patient surviving. Dr Bright agreed ; and he himself wi'ote a note to Mapleson to come and take away 8 oz. more of blood from the neck. I learned next day that the operation was performed at eleven o'clock the same evening without any resistance on the part of the patient (being a measure he had himself had recourse to when ill on former occasions), who soon after fell asleep, and slept quietly for five hours, only occasionally snoring while on his back, but not at all when on his right side, to which he would turn by himself and go to sleep again. Such was the satisfactory report when I visited the patient early on the 27th. The patient was then Ipng on his right side, his face turned towards a glaring sunlight passing through a crimson curtain. He was asleep. His respira- tion, 24? in the minute, was equal, soft, and well drawn. Nothing could be more promising. We had evidently subdued the phrenetic state of the brain; and as the patient's constitution was sound, without any appearance of weak- ness, still less of prostration, there was every ground for a fa,vourable prognosis ; and such opinion I communicated to his relative. To my great surprise, however, on leaving the room his son-in-law informed me that, at the solicitation of some relatives, and without previously consulting either Dr Bright or myself, he had requested Dr. Todd to join in the approaching consultation at two o'clock that same afternoon. I deenied it my duty to observe to him, that in a multi])li- cityof counsels in medical questions there was no wisdom, but .confusion. Things were now wearing an encouragiijg