Vol. 60, 1909 - University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

ORIGINAL COMMUNICATIONS, 239
afternoon, hence I decided upon that time who had tried the oral administration in
for my visit. I gave her a hypodermic heroic doses without success, and each time
Monday, temperature at this time 105° F. a hypodermic of quinine always caused a
Each da}' at or about the same time this rapid improvement.
treatment was given and I noticed that the The method of upsetting a patient's stomfever
was lower at each visit and on Friday acli with a conglomeration of capsules,
of the same week she was entirely free of tablets and tasteless preparations of quifever
and has not had a return. No anti- nine, complicated with the uncertainty of
malarial treatment was given other than action, must eventually pass away. Aledithat
described, neither has any form of ma- cine is getting on a scientific basis, and it
larial treatment been given since and she is certainly the opposite of science to dehas
been free from malaria. I have exam- pend upon the capsules and tablets in a
ined her blood several times and have been weakened condition of the gastric juices,
unable to find a single Plasmodia. The tablet or capsule may not be dissolved,
The second case is one of a series of two or if we are so fortunate as to bring them
cases of comatose malaria that I have into solution we do not know how much is
treated. The first case died after thirty- absorbed, besides the patient is in a posi-
j
;
six hours. (At that time I was not familiar tion to infect other mosquitoes, thereby inwith
the hypodermic treatment). I had creasing the disease.
been treating the patient's children and was With the hypodermic method we know
giving one of them a hypodermic when he just exactly how much quinine we are getsuggested
that I had better give him one ting into the blood. We can, at a few mintoo.
Not having any more tablets with me utes' notice, throw as many grains of qui-
I promised to give him an injection the nine into the blood as we desire; on the
next morning when I returned. I was other hand if we employ the old way, first
called at an unearthly hour the next morn- we must wait until the calomel has
ing to see the patient. His wife explained acted before the quinine is given, and of
to me that he liad been having two chills a course the malaria plasmodia "makes hay
day, and that soon after I left the house he while the sun is shining" and produces a
had one chill after another, five in all, fin few million plasmodia. To destroy the
ally becoming unconscious. I immediately
gave fifteen grains of