Book Description

Excerpt from Atlanta Medical and Surgical Journal, 1876, Vol. 13 It is not practicable even to enumerate here all the conceits that have been put forth to account for the phenomena of Asiatic cholera, but a brief notice may be taken of one advanced a few years since, before more seriously taking up the probable explan ation of the disease. The distinguished names of Dr. Geo. John son and Sir Thomas Watson have given to the poison-to-beelimin ated hypothesis a certain foundation, and havb drawn to it an attention that its abstract merits might not command. This hy pothesis is, in brief, that the cholera phenomena result from the introduction of a specific poison into the blood, where it rapidly self-multiplies and spoils certain blood-constituents which are then ejected through the mucous membranes of the alimentary canal; that the poison circulating in the blood excites contraction of the muscular walls of the minute pulmonary arteries, arresting or div minishing the flow of blood in the lungs, which is the essential cause of the cholera collapse; that the copious discharges express nature's efi'orts to throw off a noxious material, and really form, therefore, a necessary part of the process of recovery; and that if the pouring forth of the vascular excretion be checked, (as it possibly may by Opium) the risk of fatal collapse is thereby in creased. They therefore advocate the evacuant or cleansing practice. And propose not to excite increased excretion, but to facilitate the discharge from the mucous canal of matters lodged there. Gentle elimination is the key-word. But this practice (except when abused by being transformed into active purging, ) seems to be really little more than abstention from active inter ference, arid a trust that nature will effect a cure, as we know that she often does. Its greatest merit is that it leaves no room for and reprobates the opium and alcohol treatment, and it is actively good by its suppression of those mischievous agents. It appears, also, that unfortunate practical experience has aided theoretical reasoning to destroy the fabric. (mr. Sedgwick, Lancet, Oct. 7, Nov. 11, 1871; Am. Jour. Med. Sci, Jan., 1872, p. About the Publisher Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.