Southern Medical and Surgical Journal - Georgia Regents University

—:1859.] Diphtheria. 763ride of iron with chlorate of potass, chloric ether, and hydrochloricacid sweetened with syrup," may be employed by thosewho fancy many not incompatible compounds in one conglomerate.But care must be used not to give this mixture with themilk and eggs recommended in the same paragraph of the Lancet'sCommission ; and yet it is hard to see how this could beavoided, if all are to be given " frequently." I would suggestanother remedy combining tonic, nutriment, and stimulusferruginated cod-liver oil and brandy, in the proportion of twofluid drachms of the former to one of the latter, repeated four orfive times a day, or ofteuer, if the stomach will bear it.I believe chlorate of potash harmless, but of unproved efficacyin diphtheria. I have employed it, but saw no results exceptmitigation of fcetor of expiration, when the false membranewas in the stage of decomposition. Charcoal, chloride of soda,etc., perhaps act in a similar manner. Ablation of the tonsilsat the beginning of the disease, it appears to me, cannot be toostrongly insisted upon. Tracheotmy cannot be ignored, butshould be resorted to where other means fail to relieve thecyanosis, and suffocation is imminent from obstruction of thefauces and larynx, or even the fauces alone, the larynx beingintact. In this latter condition, tubing the larynx should firstbe attempted.It is less difficult to prevent this disease than to cure it. Themost scrupulous cleanliness of persons and surroundings, free andconstant ventilation, should be insisted on. If there are manychildren, and the rooms are small, as frequently happens in familieswhere this disease appears, the well ones should be sent away,if possible ; and if not, kept out of the room in which the infectedchild lies. M. Duche insists on the free use of sulphur as aprophylactic : he says, those children who took sulphur werenot attacked, in any case ;while others, under the same circumstances,fell victims to the malady. It is a simple, harmlessremedy, and should be tried as a preventive. M. Duche maybe right.Finally, all our knowledge of this disease may be thus epitomized.1. Diphtheria is a specific, new, zymotic disease.2. Its diagnostic sign is an aplastic membranous exudation.of iron, with chlorate of potass, chloric ether, and hydrochloric acid, ia the formof mixture, sweetened with syrup; full doses being employed, according to theage of the patient, and frequently repeated. A. free use should be male of generouswine, beef-tea, coffee, eggs in combination with brandy and wine, milk,and whatever other form of nutriment the ingenuity of the surgeon or the fancyof the patient can suggest. When food is refused, then enemata similarly composedmust be administered frequently, in small quantities of two ounces andupward, that they may not be rejected; for it is of the first importance that inanitionshould not open the last portals of life to the advancing disease. LancrtCommission.ff.S. VOL. XV. NO. XI. 54