No. 4.
Letter from Dr. Lewins, to the Secretary of the Central Board of Health.
Results of the Injection Practice in the Drummond-street Cholera Hospital, Edinburgh.
Sir,—You will receive from Dr. Latta, the details of two or three cases treated by saline injections. We have both been so much occupied to-day, that we have not had leisure to get our communications ready to be sent in the same envelope. We steal an hour from the time usually allotted for rest to write to you. In case Dr. Latta should omit to mention the circumstance, I beg to mention that his patient, Cousins, the woman who was injected to the amount of three hundred and seventy-six ounces, and who promised to do well, for a considerable time, was a person of very dissipated habits.
In the Drummond-street hospital six patients have been injected, and three recovered, or are recovering. In the three that died, extensive organic disease was found on dissection; disease that had existed previously to the attack of cholera.
I send herewith the report of two cases, treated by Dr. Craigie of this place, which, at my request, he furnished me to-day for the perusal of the Board.
I intended to have sent an account of an interesting fatal case, the only one in which the venous injection may be said to have fairly failed where it was fairly used; that I shall do to-morrow.
I have the honour to be, sir, your most obedient servant.
ROBERT LEWINS, M. D.
Leith, May 27th.