CASE LXXIII.
June 29th. Mr. B——, Æt. 60. A hard drinker; afflicted with asthma, jaundice, and dropsy. His appetite gone; his water foul and in small quantity. Neutral saline mixture, chrystals of tartar, vinum chalybeat. and other medicines had been prescribed to little advantage. Infusion of Fol. Digitalis acted powerfully as a diuretic, and removed the most urgent of his complaints, viz. the dropsical and asthmatical symptoms.
The following winter his breathing grew bad again, his appetite totally failed, and he died, but without any return of the ascites.
CASE LXXIV.
June 29th. Mr. A——, Æt. 58. Kept a public house and drank very hard. He had symptoms of diseased viscera, jaundice, ascites, and anasarca. After taking various deobstruents and diuretics, to no purpose, he was ordered the Infusion of Digitalis: a few doses occasioned a plentiful flow of urine, relieved his breath, and reduced his swellings; but, on account of his great weakness, it was judged imprudent to urge the medicine to the entire evacuation of the water. He was so much relieved as to be able to come down stairs and to walk about, but his want of appetite and jaundice continuing, and his debility increasing, he died in about two months.
CASE LXXV.
July 18th. Mrs. B——, Æt. 46. A little woman, and very much deformed. Asthmatical for many years. For several months past had been worse than usual; appetite totally gone, legs swollen, sense of great fulness about her stomach, countenance fallen, lips livid, could not lie down.
The usual modes of practice failing, the Digitalis was tried, but with no better success, and in about a month she died; not without suspicion of her death having been accelerated a few days, by her taking half a grain of opium. This may be a caution to young practitioners to be careful how they venture upon even small doses of opium in such constitutions, however much they may be urged by the patient to prescribe something that may procure a little rest and ease.
CASE LXXVI.
August 12th. Mr. L——, Æt. 65, the person whose Case is recorded at [No. XXIV], had a return of his insanity, after near two years perfect health. He was extremely reduced when I saw him, and the medicine which cured him before was now administered without effect, for his weakness was such that I did not dare to urge it.