XCIII.—Gonorrhœa and Chancres.
Sweating, followed by bath in the morning; douche at eleven; at twelve, rubbing-sheet and sitz-bath; afternoon, packing-sheet and bath; chancres increased to the size of a sixpence then, and in two days cicatrised. Patient cured in twenty-five days.
Gonorrhœa, &c.—Packing-sheet, tepid bath, and sitz-baths were the means used. The complaint continuing, Priessnitz supposed it arose from debility of the parts, and ordered:—
Six sitz-baths of ten minutes, allowing five minutes to elapse between each, twice a-day; packing-sheets to be changed as soon as warm, followed by cold bath.
A young man, immediately on discovering this complaint, who took sitz-baths as above described, injected cold water into the urethra, bandaged the parts and drank plentifully of cold water and lived low; was cured in two days.
Another person was subject to involuntary emissions, by which his strength was wasting away. In a month after he began the cure, he found an old gonorrhœa return (which had evidently been driven into the system and was the cause of his malady); he was now treated for this and restored to perfect health.
A Russian officer, declared cured of chancre three years before, found the complaint return, when he was again treated by mercury. His throat continued to trouble him, his voice was husky, and piles began to make their appearance. After pursuing the Water-cure for a short time, as described in a former case, he had a crisis in his foot, and diarrhœa for a fortnight, when he passed a considerable quantity of blood. After this, the piles disappeared entirely, and his voice became sound and clear. It should be observed that he sweated alternate mornings only; the other mornings, packing-sheets and bath.
A young man aged 23, attacked with secondary symptoms: sore throat, etc., was ordered three packing-sheets and cold baths a-day; rubbing-sheet and sitz-bath.
I knew another strong young man suffering under secondary symptoms, so that he could hardly walk with the use of a stick; he went to Gräfenberg, staid there two months, and returned to England the picture of health.
As there are always at Gräfenberg a large number of individuals labouring under these complaints, cases of cure might be adduced ad infinitum: suffice it to say, that hydropathy in their cure is omnipotent. Buboes and chancres, when taken in their infancy, are eradicated from the system in a few weeks, sometimes days, without the debilitating effects attendant upon other deceitful remedies.