The antidotal treatment of the epidemic cholera / by John Parkin.

  • Parkin, John, 1801-1886.
Date:
1883
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: The antidotal treatment of the epidemic cholera / by John Parkin. Source: Wellcome Collection.

    42/308 (page 26)
    Of the cases treated by Mr. Cox, on Dr. Ayre's plan, slightly modified, it appears, that the fatal cases were the longest time under treatment, and took the largest amount of calomel; the quantity varying from 380 to 480 grains, and the time of treatment from 10 to 20 hours: with the recoveries, on the other hand, the quantity varied from 36 to 168 grains, and the time from 2 to 16 hours. This shows, that calomel alone has no influence in the removal of the collapse, and that, when this occurs, it must be ascribed to some other and accidental circumstance. As, also, it is not until the removal of the collapse, that the flow of bile is usually observed, we must ascribe the latter result, not to the calomel, but, to the restoration of the circu- lation, due to some other agency. That the removal of the collapse is not the effect of the restoration of the secretion of bile, even supposing that it were the first in order, we may also conclude from the fact, that we sometimes meet with cases in which the flow of bile is not suppressed, while, in others, the secretion is restored during the attack; yet the fatal termination is not thereby prevented! It is thus apparent, from the preceding facts, that the attempt to restore the secretion of bile is perfectly useless, until the cause productive of this effect has been removed. The writer of the Madras Report, in reference to this practice, re- marks, Calomel has unquestionably a powerful effect in exciting the biliary system, and, in this