Syphilis and local contagious disorders / by Berkeley Hill.

Date:
1881
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Syphilis and local contagious disorders / by Berkeley Hill. Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material has been provided by the Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh. The original may be consulted at the Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh.

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    Another plan of cutting short urethritis in the early stages, while free from clanger, is sometimes successful. It consists in the hourly injection of a weak astringent solution—for example, a solution of sul- phate of zinc (J grain to the ounce)—until twelve or fifteen injections have been made. A useful adjuvant to the astringent is belladonna, 5 or 6 grains of the extract being suspended in each ounce of the injection. The penis may also he smeared with extract of bella- donna and glycerine in equal parts. The patient is best in his room or in bed while this treatment is being carried out. Low diet must also he adopted. If the treatment succeed, a cure is achieved in three days. If at the end of that time the discharge still remain, the plan must be abandoned and ordinary methods pursued. If also the injection cause increase of the discharge and scalding on passing water, it should be at once discontinued. Systematic treatment, which has no pretence to cut short the dis- order at the outset, but chiefly aims at curing it by allaying irritation of every kind, is often the most expeditious, as well as the best for the patient; and in the long run it is the safest for the reputation of the surgeon. In treating gonorrhoea careful regulation of the patient’s habits and diet is most important. Abstinence from every kind of irri- tation must he insisted on, not only while the inflammation is acute, when the injunctions are readily complied with, but also for some time after the discharge has ceased. The patient must refrain from sexual intercourse, or sexual excitement of any kind; he must discard highly flavoured dishes, curries, asparagus, strong coffee, efferves- cing drinks, and beer. On the other hand, nothing is gained (ex- cept, of course, when the acuteness of the inflammation causes con- stitutional disturbance) by starvation. In delicate people, a small quantity of claret, well diluted with water, assists digestion, and furthers the progress towards recovery. Personal cleanliness must he rigorousl}r observed, and the genitals frequently washed to remove the discharge as it collects. Some sort of dressing must also be devised for keeping the dis- charge from the patient’s linen. A handkerchief folded in four and attached to the inside of the shirt by two safety pins, answers very well and allows the discharge to flow away as fast as it is produced. The application to the meatus of a piece of lint or wool, which is kept in position by the prepuce, is injurious when the running is profuse, as it confines the discharge within the urethra; but it is a very convenient form of dressing when the discharge has become scanty. Various contrivances, such as an india-rubber bag attached to a band round the hips, are sold, but have the disadvantage of keeping the penis too hot, otherwise they are very convenient. If used, some absorbent cotton wool should be placed in the