The cholera epidemic of 1873 in the United States.

  • Billings, John S. (John Shaw), 1838-1913.
Date:
1875
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: The cholera epidemic of 1873 in the United States. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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

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    that two days before his admission be had been drinking quite hard • had a slight diarrhoea for two days; had not eaten anything for twelve' hours; and had slept the night previous in the open air. On the morn- ing of July 23, was taken with vomiting and purging. When admitted to hospital, his eyes were sunken, surfaces were cold and clammy, pulse- less; thirst intense; severe cramps down the thighs and legs; subsultus tendinum marked; voice shrill and weak; urine totally suppressed; nau- sea and vomiting. He had no operation after admission. At 7.20 o'clock p. m., temperature at axilla 96°; in rectum 99°. Sulph. morphia, gr. £, given hypodermically. At 7.40 o'clock p. m., gave him, in same manner, Ty gr. sulph. morphia and ^ gr. atropia. At 8 o'clock p. m., cataplasms of mustard applied to abdomen and lower extremities. At 9.o'clock p. m., pulse could be felt for the first time, beating 120 to the minute. 0 At 9.30, temperature in axilla 99£°; in rectum 101°: and at 10 o'clock he commenced sinking rapidly. Five minutes before death, which oc- curred at 11 o'clock p. m., his respirations were, 1st minute, 20; 2d, 15 • da, 12 ; 4th, 6 ; 5tb, 1 deep inspiration. After death, muscular contrac- tions were very marked. Case (21) of Asiatic cholera brought from Evansville, Ind., to Louisville, on the 8th of June, 1873-Beportecl by Dr. J. A. Metealf, of Louisville, TnnP°sI1i?7E?kVakSefc- 29 years, a native of Indiana, arrived in Louisville Vi10 w i f ° a'-m-' after a trip frora Terre Haute> via Evans- Mile. Was taken sick with vomiting and purging at 5.30 a m half an hour after arrival from Evansville, where there wire cases of^lolera The above symptoms continued increasing in severity untU 5 45 a ,T w Tk %Z a:ZUmCh rSt,rated aS t0 be ?orced t0 HeLwn onthe side'- !; 1 He was brougnt to the city-hospital a short time afterward by the cyanotic ht8' fwh;m'be had very much the appearance of a c miotic child; ha extremities were cold ; and there was profuse sweat tSe'whiT 7 0t haUdS aad,feet- He had a Peculiar a, stare, which, however, soon passed away. He was nut to be 1 9 warm bath, (being filthy when taken to the wardTand tronri ln ,t administered, which checked the purging immediatelv Thfi/v- ' continuing, I gave him small bits of iceTnstead of ^^Whtoh iSbSSS R> Cblorofoimi, f3iij. Tr. capBici.tr. opii, aaf3ij. Aqnse camphor., ffiij. Acaciffl pulv., 3ij. the ana, Ei9 r^XXTAt»?