Observations on the principal medical institutions and practice of France, Italy, and Germany : with notices of the universities, and cases from hospital practice : to which is added an appendix, on animal magnetism and homœopathy / by Edwin Lee.

  • Lee, Edwin, -1870.
Date:
1837
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Observations on the principal medical institutions and practice of France, Italy, and Germany : with notices of the universities, and cases from hospital practice : to which is added an appendix, on animal magnetism and homœopathy / by Edwin Lee. 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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    times, cupped twice, and had twenty-four leeches applied ; in about half the number of cases blisters were also employed ; and in one case a purgative was given. Of these patients two only died, twenty-three having been cured before the fourteenth day. Articular rheumatism is treated by M. Bouillaud by general and local abstraction of blood, Dover's powder, opiates, either given internally or by the endermic method, blisters, mercurial frictions, and compression, employed according to circumstances. The pericardial inflammation su frequently accompanying rheumatism, is not regarded by M. Bouillaud as a metastatic affection, but as an essential part of the disease ; he is of opinion that in most cases of acute rheumatism, auscultation will furnish evidence of disordered action of the heart from this cause ; the pericar- dium being somewhat analogous in structure and function with synovial membranes, is liable to be similarly affected by disease. M. Bouillaud considers typhoid fevers to depend on an inflammatory condition of the intestinal canal, combined with a vitiated state of the blood and secretions, and consequently treats them as other inflammatory diseases, by repeated venesections, and cupping or leeching the abdo- men ; the chloruret of sodium being in many cases at the same time administered in the patient's potion, as well as in lavements and baths. These, with sweetened or acidulated diluents, and occasionally blisters to the extremities, are the means principally relied upon. This treat- ment is said to be very successful. Of this I had not sufficient oppor- tunity of judging, as one successful case which I saw during my visits occurred in a female of strong constitution, in whom no dangerous symptom existed. In another case, which I suhjoin, where the typhoid symptoms were more strongly marked, it failed altogether : the patient becoming pro- gressively worse from the time of his admission. Typhus fever.—A man aged twenty-two, admitted 29th March, was taken ill nine days before with shivering, great debility, and headache. He was then bled, purged, and took an emetic without relief, and on the 30th presented the following symptoms: great prostration of strength, pulse 100, small, and easily compressed, lips dry, tongue red at the tip and edges, brownish in the centre, temperature of the skin no higher than natural; part of the body, and more especially the abdomen, covered with red spots; tension of the abdomen, but no pain, nor tenderness on pressure; bowels constipated. He answers questions clearly, though not at all times very readily.—Venesection to twelve ounces, abstraction of eight ounces of blood by cupping on the abdomen; emollient lavement, potion with syrup of gum. 31st. He says°he is worse, but dots not complain of pain; pulse 100, small and weak, eruption less vivid, abdomen tympanitic, constipation, dull sound on per- cussion at the lower and posterior part of the thorax.—Abstraction of eight ounces of blood by cupping; potion with chloruret of sodium; lavement with chloruret; chlorine fumigations and aspersions. April 1st. He complains of being worse than yesterday, and of excessive debility. Pulse 124, feeble, breath fetid, inability to pass his urine, which is drawn off— bath with chloruret; other remedies continued. 2d. Countenance more depressed, skin warmer than natural, pulse rapid and feeble, abdomen somewhat less distended.—Cupping on the abdomen to seven ounces of blood, emollient lavement, potion, and bath continued. 4th. He had copious alvine evacuation after the lavement, and felt greatly relieved ; the tongue is cleaner and moist, abdomen more supple, but the pulse is 4*