Probably a much more efficient elms of remedies than the preced ing is that of purgatives; both on account of the obstinate costive ness which attends the disease, and also because we have in daily practice such convincing proofs of their strong revideivo influence on dis eases of the cerebrospinal centre. The testimony of the army physicians, as we learn from the report of Sir James M'Grigor, is highly in favour of a rigid perseverance in the use of purgatives, given in adequate doses to produce daily a full effect. Dr. Forbes states that a solution of sulphate of magnesia in infusion of scums was found to answer better than any other purgative; and it was daily given in a sufficient quantity to produce a copious evacuation, which was always dark-coloured and highly offensive; and to this practice he chiefly attributes in one severe case the removal of the disease.
idled. Clair. Trans.,' voL vi, p. 452, quoted by Mr. Cooper.) Dr. Good condemns drastic purgatives, forgetting apparently that mild ones have no effect. Strong cathartics have indeed frequently proved of great service, and none has higher repute than croton The employment of the warm bath has been recommended by numerous writers, but it would be difficult to trace in their accounts any facts which decidedly show that its adoption was ever followed by unequivocal benefit. Cold bathing has also been advised, but it
has generally been found to be worse than useless; and there are several cases upon record of almost instant death having followed its employment.
The practice of bleeding is another that has been tried, but most frequently without effect. In some few casea amputation of the limb, from the injury of which the tetanus has arisen, has been successful; but as this extreme measure is also very uncertain, it is not likely to be ever extensively adopted.
Numerous other remedies have been tried, with no, or very imper fect, success ; for instance, acupuncture, strychnia, mercury, caustics, blisters, tobacco, oil of turpentine, ether, camphor, musk, bark, wine, sesqui-oxide of iron, &c., &c. However, it must, after all these have been tried, be confessed that tetanus is one of the most formidable and unmanageable of disorders, and that the recovery in the acute form still continues to be almost hopeless.