The Science of Therapeutics - Classical Homeopathy Online

Full text of "The Science of Therapeutics: According to the Principles of Homeopath...Page 442 of 653ditions may be supposed to exist during the prevalence of scarlatina, yet they are unknown to us ; nor are we able to explain whacircumstances render one epidemic so dangerous and leave anothercomparatively mild. Epidemic scarlatina very often occurs simultaneously with, or subsequently to epidemic measles; it likewisenot unfrequently occurs together with small-pox; its relation towhooping-cough is less definite.SymptoniH and Courne. No acute exanthem is so variablein its course as scarlatina, although certain fixed types are alwrecognizable. The various epidemics differ very particularly fromeach other. We have not space to consider all these particular diferences and shall therefore content ourselves with describing thnormal couree of ordinary benign scarlatina, and shall afterwardsmention the deviations from this course, as we have done whentreating of measles.The disease is undoubtedly ushered in by a precursory stage whichhas no characteristic symptoms any more than the prodromic stageof measles. The patients exhibit the symptoms of a severe catarrhfever which, in contra-distinction to measles, is not attended wian irritation of the respiratory tract, but with inflammation offauces and catarrh of the stomacb. This stage differs in no respefrom a catarrhal angina, not even by the pulse which, in an affection of this kind, is generally very rapid. Only the skin of thepatient is much less frequently moist.After the prodromi have lasted for two days, the exanthemmakes its appearance, generally with a marked increase of the fevand the other preliminary symptoms ; children are attacked with524 Acute and Chronic Contagious Diseases.convulsions. The exanthem always first breaks out on the neck,whence it spreads downwards over the rest of the body. First wenotice closely-crowded red stigmata, generally of a much darkercolor than the measle-spots ; these stigmata very speedily run inone another, causing an homogeneoud, faintly dotted redness (scarlatina IsBvigata), or else they grow in size and, running togetheform single spots of a darker color, seated upon a more faintlycuticle (scarlatina variegata), or, finally, small vesicles sprinupon the red surface, most generally in consequence of the intenscharacter of the cutaneous affection, some of which are closelycrowded together, others are more scattered (scarlatina miliaris)The exanthem is generally fully out in twenty-four hours, whenthe stage of efflorescence commences. The redness is most intenseon the neck and on the extensor-surface of the extremities, likewon the hands. Throughout this stage the constitutional symptomspreserve their intensity, but the fever begins to abate in the latwo days ; it does not pass away suddenly, as in the case of measThe angina is very intense, the fauces are dark-red ; the tongue,having got rid of its original coating, looks very dark, with proinent papillsB, imparting to it a strawberry appearance. The urinary secretion is much less. Sometimes a little bronchial catarrhmakes its appearance at this time, but it scarcely ever assumes aviolent form.On the fifth or sixth day after the appearance of the exanhttp://www.archive.org/stream/sciencetherapeu00kafkgoog/sciencetherapeu00kafkgoog_djvu.txt