[7] Though this practice is now followed by many gentlemen in India, yet I believe that it has been carried to a greater extent by Messrs Dean and Bellars, of the 86th regiment, than by any other practitioners. These gentlemen have recorded several hundreds of cases of dysentery treated solely by nitric mixture and bath.
[8] In Egypt we gave trial to a mode of treatment which was strongly recommended to me by Dr Whyte. It was the application of flannel bandages over the whole abdomen. In chronic cases, and in convalescents, it appeared to be of the greatest service; and, in recent cases, when the appropriate remedies were used at the same time, it appeared to shorten the cure. I have seen it tried alone but in a few cases of this disease. From the result of these, however, in cases of either the European or tropical dysentery, I would not venture to rely on it alone for a cure.
Before leaving the subject of dysentery I may mention, that, in India, I have met with some cases of a very violent dysentery which ran its course in three, four, or five days. In this disease the usual practice did not succeed. The best treatment appeared to be, after a dose of castor oil, to give opium liberally by the mouth, and by clyster; and to make the patient drink very freely of gum arabic at the same time. In some of these cases I have likewise given diluted nitric-acid. A constriction of the vessels discharging mucus was in this way effected; the incessant discharge was stopped, and time given for a secretion of mucus to cover the abraded gut. I have thus sometimes succeeded in checking a most violent disease. Thereafter, the mouth could be gradually and gently affected by mercury, or by nitric-acid.
On opening the bodies of those who died of the tropical dysentery, in Egypt as in India, we almost constantly found the liver diseased. In old cases, we likewise most commonly found ulceration of the great intestines, and very frequently within the reach of enemata. In the composition of these, a variety of articles were used: most frequently, I think, solutions of sugar of lead, or vitriolated zinc, gave greatest relief; and we sometimes found that gum arabic, milk, and broths, gave relief, when many other things had failed.
[9] It was soon afterwards introduced to India, by the exertions of the Medical Board at Bombay; and the world has had a full account of its introduction and success from my friend Dr Keir, who had the charge of the institution for disseminating the vaccine disease, from Bombay through India.
[10] Vide Appendix.
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