A concise history of the febrile diseases which occurred in the practice of the late Elijah F. Reed,... between the years 1789 and 1837 / [Elijah F. Reed].

  • Reed, Elijah F. (Elijah Fitch), -1847.
Date:
1848
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: A concise history of the febrile diseases which occurred in the practice of the late Elijah F. Reed,... between the years 1789 and 1837 / [Elijah F. Reed]. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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    The cases differed much, not only in the manner of attack, but in the progress of disease. They also differed much in degree of malignancy ; the patients in the greatest danger commonly be¬ lieving themselves in little or none ; and appearing so likewise to others unacquainted with the disease. Some cases commenced with a sense of coldness and rigors which were always slight. These were soon succeeded by febrile heat and pain in some part of the chest, always Confined to a very small spot, somewhat, but never greatly increased by inspiration or cough, the patient being able to distend the lungs in some good degree. The pulse, though not very small, was never hard, and not less than from 110 to 120 in a minute. The tongue would be covered with a thin white fur, but would never be hard nor dry, nor would the patient be very thirsty. The matter expectorated was a bloody mucus, and in these cases only, or in those of most excitement, did this assume in the course of disease, anything of a puriform appearance. These were the most favorable cases among those which needed much medication and were evidently the least asthenic. In this class of cases I commonly commenced the treat¬ ment by procuring some evacuation from the bowels, with calomel or castor oil, and used calomel with Dover’s powder for some of the first days, when, if the heat was abating and the skin becom¬ ing a little moist, or pulse was becoming smaller and increasing in frequency ; or, without much increase in frequency, was be¬ coming soft, and the patient much inclining to sweat, I omitted the calomel and commenced the use of opium, spirits and serpen- taria or cinchona In the use of these medicines, under these cir¬ cumstances, the pulse would frequently become more full and less frequent, expectoration more free and respiration more easy; but in these cases, when excitement was not very much reduced, I have found more benefit from the use of squills and seneka, as ex¬ pectorants, than in other cases, and when the lungs were much filled with mucus, have found an emetic of ipecac more beneficial than in cases of less excitement. All of these patients were freely blistered. In this class of cases, bleeding might appear to be indicated, and in five of them I bled, and also in one other, which, although it commenced with expectoration of bloody mucus, in other respects was similar. Three of these patients recovered and three died. A female aged about twenty, in the night of the 19th of February, commenced expectorating very bloody mucus very freely, without pain or pyrexia. I prescribed a laxative Dover’s powder and an epispastic. On the second day she had much pyrexia, with pain in the chest. I bled and blistered her. On the third day she took opium and ipecac. On the fourth, her lungs were loaded with mucus and respiration was difficult, and she was puked with ipecac. The disease subsided about the seventh day, with a moderate use of stimulants. On the 27th of Dec. 1815, I visited a male, aged about twenty-