On the arrest of typhus fever by quinine / by Robert Dundas.

  • Dundas, Robert, active 19th century.
Date:
[1851]
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: On the arrest of typhus fever by quinine / by Robert Dundas. Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material has been provided by The University of Glasgow Library. The original may be consulted at The University of Glasgow Library.

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    the liquor opii sedativus, with a few drops of nitric acid, will fre- quently afford the most signal relief, and enable the patient to resume the quinine with every prospect of success. I would here observe, that the large doses of quinine are not only safe, but advantageous in every stage, and in every form of typhus fever, and that the action assigned to it by Dr. Pereira and others is altogether erroneous. The presence of intense headache, quick and strong pulse, dry and burning skin, dry, chapped and black tongue, intense thirst, hurried respiration, abdominal tenderness, and diarrhoea, do not contraindicate its use. On the contrary, under large and re- peated doses, the headache will subside^ the pulse calm down, the breathing become less frequent, perspiration will return, the tongue will become moist, and the diarrhoea will be checked.' After the first decided impression has been made on the disease by the quinine, it is invariably necessary to support the patient's strength by good beef-tea, and a moderate allowance of wine. Purgatives, without some decided necessity, should be avoided. When the head continues much involved, a strong capsicum enema—a drachm of the poxoder to ten ounces of water—will often afibrd relief. The minor adjuvants in fever may also occasionally be resorted to mth comfort and advantage. In these observations I have confined myself to the exposition of general principles, and altogether avoided cases, as I entirely concur with that eminent physician. Dr. William Stokes, Avhose Lectures on Fever are unexcelled in the English or any other language, that you might as well expect to find two human beings exactly alike, as to find two cases of fever perfectly similar:—the varieties are infinite. I may here state, that I have repeatedly witnessed in Brazil, seasons of ague, (for the disease prevails in seasons), when quinine, though always curative, appeared less efficient in controlling the disease than at others; and similar modifications will doubtless occasionally occur in the fever of this country. Modifications in the quinine treatment, and probably very important ones, will also, I am satisfied, be intro- duced through the more extended experience of the profession, though I believe the principle will be only confirmed by being tried and tested by different observers. I shall now briefly repeat the principles I have here, and else\yhere, laid down. The evidence on which I adopted them is embodied in my Sketches of Brazil, now in the press, and which in a short time will be laid before the profession. 1. Ague and remittent fever do not originate in malaria or marsh miasm. The doctrine of a special marsh poison I hope to show to be altogether unfounded. 2. Intermittent, remittent, and continued fever, are mere varieties of the same disease. The intermittent constantly merges into the remittent or continued type; and continued fever assumes still more frequently (in Brazil) the intermittent form; and all are curable by the same agents. By the same agents we can arrest them all. Could this be done if they originated in difierent 1 For obvious reasons, the power of quinine in arresting typhus fever will be more strikingly displayed in private patients, than in the general run ot liospuai patients.