Illustrations of pulmonary consumption : its anatomical characters, causes, symptoms and treatment. To which are added, some remarks on the climate of the United States, the West Indies, &c.

  • Morton, Samuel George, 1799-1851.
Date:
1837
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Illustrations of pulmonary consumption : its anatomical characters, causes, symptoms and treatment. To which are added, some remarks on the climate of the United States, the West Indies, &c. Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material has been provided by the Harvey Cushing/John Hay Whitney Medical Library at Yale University, through the Medical Heritage Library. The original may be consulted at the Harvey Cushing/John Hay Whitney Medical Library at Yale University.

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    ing the presence of active fever they are injurious; but under other circumstances they may be given in every condition of phthisis. I have chiefly used the wild-cherry bark, (prunus virginianus) and the Virginia snake root. The former is one of those mild, but decided tonics, which supports the strength without increasing the constitutional irritation. I am averse to the use of this class of medi- cines in the form of tincture; they increase the fever and enfeeble the stomach, although their stimulant effect may produce a seductive, yet very temporary relief, to the in- valid. The mineral acids, the preparations of iron, the sul- phate of quinine and the extract of gentian, either alone or in combination, are invaluable adjuvants in the tonic plan of treatment. Narcotics.—These generally increase the fever, and consequently the languor of the patient; but without them sleep is sometimes unattainable, and they constitute the least of two evils. The sulphate of morphia is perhaps the most certain and least irritating; but the dose requires to be greatly increased, or it loses its effect. I have de- rived great advantage from changing one preparation of opium for another, giving for a week or more the mor- phia, then substituting opium, laudanum or paregoric, and finally the acetum opii or black drop. Thus where half a wrain of morphia has no longer induced sleep, twelve drops of the black drop, taken in a table-spoonful of cam- phor water or neutral mixture, has acted like a charm. Where all the preparations of opium are found to have a deleterious effect, I have occasionally used the extracts