The Science of Therapeutics - Classical Homeopathy Online

Full text of "The Science of Therapeutics: According to the Principles of Homeopath...Page 515 of 653moderate quantities, for the thirst. During convalescence, theslightest imprudence in eating was apt to induce relapse. I haveseen toasted bread, chicken broth, soft boiled eggs, etc., decideinjurious. When the patient is able to pass from the farinaceousarticles to something more nutritive, he may be permitted at onceto chew pieces of good beef-steak. This is much better than beeftea, because the act of mastication extracts the saliva, and incoporates it with the animal juice, thereby facilitating its digestAlcoholic stimulants were seldom given during the disease, or recommended to promote recovery. Confirmed topers, however, wereCholera Asiatica. 618permitted to use small quantities of their favorite beverages durthe latter stages of the disease." H.]4« Cholera Asiatica.Asiatic ChdercuAsiatic cholera is an intensely epidemic disease ; sporadic caseseven if they bear the greatest resemblance to cholera, cannot beregarded as such, but must be set down as very violent cases ofcholerine. We will not inquire where and how cholera first originnated. The important point ^nth us is to be acquainted with themanner in which this epidemic spreads. Cholera is caused by aspecial contagium which is multiplied by the disease and is contained in the excrements ; its presence anywhere else is very douful. Hence the infection is principally spread by contact with thexcrementitious matter of cholera-patients. This proposition whicwas first started by Pettenkofer is the only one among the multitude of hypotheses bearing on this point, by which the variousbizarre modifications in the spread of the epidemic can be accounfor in a natural manner. This involves a second point, namely :that the development of the contagium does not take place withinthe body of the patient, but in the excrements after their removaout of the body, and that this development takes place so muchmore rapidly and intensely the more the conditions for a rapiddecomposition of the excrements are accumulated. The infection ispromoted by all kinds of aft'ections affiliated to cholera, henceby gastro-intestinal catarrh, by circumstances exerting a depressettect upon the mind, by a cold, by dietetic transgressions. Neitage nor sex shows either a greater or a less susceptibility to thdisease. The epidemic now raging in Egypt furnishes a strikingexample of the origin and spread of cholera. Hence cholera is notcontagious properly speaking.Symptoms and Course. It cannot be stated with perfectcertainty how soon, after the infection has taken place, the firssymptoms of the disease show themselves, but all circumstancestend to show that the period of incubation only lasts three days.It has no characteristic symptoms ; the alterations caused by thedread of the fearful malady must not be mistaken for manifestations of the disease itself.A preliminary stage in reality does not exist. The first signthat infection has taken place, is a painless diarrhoea which ishttp://www.archive.org/stream/sciencetherapeu00kafkgoog/sciencetherapeu00kafkgoog_djvu.txt