Blisters to the neck, along the course of vagus, cause both vomiting and hic cough to cease. Blagovidoff (Wratsch, 34, '92).
The following. treatment employed with advantage, particularly for the re lief of the cramps and vomiting:— 13 Dilute hydrochloric acid, 15 minims. Pure pepsin essence, 20 minims. Wine of opium, 20 minims.
Peppermint-water, 4 ounces. Syrup of orange-flower, 1 ounce.
M. Sig.: A teaspoonful each hour.
This dose can be diminished as soon as the medicine controls the attack to some extent, so that 4 teaspoonfuls a day may be sufficient. Sometimes 13 minims of ether may be added to this mixture with advantage. Chauvin (La Med. 3Iod., Sept. 5, '96).
But the effects of these remedies are only transient, aud the use of some of them—especially morphine—should not be prolonged, in order to avoid the dan ger of increasing the general depression.
Solutions. of benzoyl-acetyl peroxide are extremely active as germicides. In cholera it was at first given by mouth as frequently- as possible in solution of 1 to 1000. and by high rectal injec tions every six hours. For stimulation. brandy and strychnine were given hypo dermically, and, if the general condition of the patient was good, morphine was sometimes given to relieve pain. Tur pentine stupes and hot-water bags were also used to relieve pain. vomiting was generally stopped by cocaine and cracked ice. In some hospitals the administra tion of double gelatin capsules contain ing each 0.25 gramme (4 grains) of beu zoyl-acetyl peroxide was resorted to. as it was found that the continued admin istration of .solutions per os produced vomiting. The high rectal injections form an important part of the treat ment, especially in the second stage, when the bowel movements are approxi mately few. because the colon then con tains a large amount of toxin which is fliighed out by this means. Omitting deaths occurring immediately after ad mission to the hospital, and counting only those occurring six hours or more after admission, the mortality in one hundred and twenty cases was 45.71 per cent. The native mortality was prob ably increased. owing to the difficulty in
inducing native patients to take any medicine at all. Of six Americans treated, four recovered and two died. 1'. C. Freer ((lovernment Lab. Bull., No. 2, 1902; Med. News. Feb. 21, 1903).
When diarrlacea and vomiting are un restrainable, and therefore loss of water is so large as to cause a rapid thicken ing of the blood and drying of the tis sues, an attempt must be made to re store, as much as possible, the normal composition of the blood, to render it more fluid and to make circulation and hmatosis easier. For this purpose sub cutaneous injections of a hot, saline solution were proposed by Cantani and Samuel and experimented on a very large scale and with very good effects by many physicians and by the writer. Cantani's formula is as follows: Dis tilled water, 1 quart; chloride of sodium, 1 drachm; carbonate of sodium, 45 grains. Of this solution, warmed to 100.4° to 104° F., one or two quarts are injected into the subcutaneous tissue of the flanks. The results of this method are most striking, sometimes even in the algid stage; and, if it does not always save life, it at least gives the patient some relief from his sufferings. Its effect is shown by removing cardiac weakness and feebleness of the pulse, by bringing on the secretion of urine, by elevation of temperature, etc.
Intravenous infusions of Hayem's artificial serum (distilled water, 1 quart; chloride of sodium, 100 grains; hydrate of sodium, 20 grains; sulphate of so dium, 1 ounce) are equally beneficial, but their use is more difficult, and they- are no more prompt in their effects and not without danger. The subcu taneous injections are, therefore, gener ally preferable.
Case of cholera in which intravenous injections of salt solution were followed by resuscitation sufficient to allow the patient to sit up and make a will. The operation was repeated six times, and it wag noted that good effect could only be obtained when the venous system was rapidly distended. Richardson (Ascle piad, No. 4, '91).