CASE XLII.
July 7th. Miss H—— of T——, Æt. 39. In the last stage of a phthisis pulmonalis became dropsical. She took the Digitalis without being relieved.
CASE XLIII.
July 9th. Mrs. F——, Æt. 70. A chearful, strong, healthy woman; but for a few years back had experienced a degree of difficult breathing when in exercise. In the course of the last year her legs swelled, and she felt great fulness about her stomach. These symptoms continued increasing very fast, notwithstanding several attempts made by a very judicious apothecary to relieve her. The more regular practitioner failing, she had recourse to a quack, who I believe plied her very powerfully with Daphne laureola, or some drastic purge of that kind. I found her greatly reduced in strength, her belly and lower extremities swollen to an amazing size, her urine small in quantity, and her appetite greatly impaired. For the first fortnight of my attendance blisters were applied, solution of fixed alkaly, decoction of seneka with vitriolic æther, chrystals of tartar, squill and cordial medicines were successively exhibited, but with no advantage. I then directed Pulv. Fol. Digital. two grains every four hours. After taking eighteen grains, the urine began to increase. The medicine was then stopped. The discharge of urine continued to increase, and in five or six days the whole of the dropsical water passed off, without any disturbance to the stomach or bowels. As the distension of the belly had been very great, a swathe was applied, and drawn gradually tighter as the water was evacuated. As no pains were spared to prevent the return of the dropsy, and as the best means I could devise proved unequal to my wishes, both in this and in some other cases, I shall take the liberty to point out the methods I tried at different times in as concise a manner as possible, for the knowledge of what will not do, may sometimes assist us to discover what will.
1780.
July 18th. Infusum amarum, steel, Seltzer water.
September 22d. Neutral saline draughts, with tinct. canthar.
26th. Pills of soap, garlic and millepedes.
30th. The same pills, with infusum amarum.
October 11th. Pills of aloes, assafetida, and sal martis, in the day-time, and mercury rubbed down, at night.
December 21st. The accumulation of water now required a repetition of the Digitalis. It was directed in infusion, a dram and half to eight ounces, and an ounce and half given every fourth hour, until its effects began to appear. The water was soon carried off.
30th. Sal diuretic. twice a day. To eat preserved garlic frequently.
1781.
February 1st. Pills of calomel, squill and gum ammoniac.
3d. Infusion of Digitalis repeated, and after the water was carried off, Dover's powder was tried as a sudorific.
March 18th. Infus. Digital. repeated.
26th. Pills of sal martis and aromatic species, with infusum amarum.
May 5th. Being feverish; James's powder and saline draughts.
10th. Laudanum every night, and an opening tincture to obviate costiveness.
24th. Infus. Digitalis, one ounce only every fourth hour, which soon procured a perfect evacuation of the water.
August 11th. Infus. Digitalis.
October 19th. An emetic, and fol. Cicut. pulv. ten grains every six hours.
November 8th. A mercurial bolus at bed-time.
16th. Infus. Digitalis.
December 23d. An emetic—Pills of seneka and gum ammoniac—Vitriolic acid in every thing she drinks.
25th. Squill united to small doses of opium.
1782.
January 2d. A troublesome cough—Syrup of garlic and oxymel of squills. A blister to the back.
4th. Tincture of cantharides and paregoric elixir.
28th. Infus. Digitalis, half an ounce every morning, and one ounce every night, was now sufficient to empty her.
March 26th. Infus. Digitalis; and when emptied, vitriol of copper twice a day.
April 1st. A cordial mixture for occasional use.
Two months afterwards a purging came on, which every now and then returned, inducing great weakness—her appetite failed, and she died in July.