RECTAL ANTISEPTIC INJECTIONS IN EPIDEMIC INFLUENZA AND IN ADVANCED PHTHISIS WITH LARGE CAVITIES.

RECTAL ANTISEPTIC INJECTIONS IN EPIDEMIC INFLUENZA AND IN ADVANCED PHTHISIS WITH LARGE CAVITIES.

795 RECTAL ANTISEPTIC INJECTIONS IN EPIDEMIC INFLUENZA AND IN ADVANCED PHTHISIS WITH LARGE CAVITIES. BY J. C. VOIGT, M.D. EDIN., FORMERLY RESIDENT ME...

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795

RECTAL ANTISEPTIC INJECTIONS IN EPIDEMIC INFLUENZA AND IN ADVANCED PHTHISIS WITH LARGE CAVITIES. BY J. C. VOIGT, M.D. EDIN., FORMERLY RESIDENT MEDICAL OFFICER, BURY AND SOUTHPORT INFIRMARIES.

pain gone; temperature 99°.—23rd: Found her downstairs. Temperatnre normal; eats heartily. Remarks.-The antiseptic action of rectal injections of eucalyptus oil is cfficaeious in cutting short an attack of influenza, and in preventing altogether that nervous prostration and general break down which accompany and follow the disease, provided always that one is called to the case at a sufficiently early stage of the illness, and that there is

no

contraindication in the state of the heart

or

kidneys. For adults, without coexisting heart or kidney disease, a drachm of the pure oil of eucalyptus globulus is mixed wibh nearly an ounce of warm olive oil. An indiarubber ball pyringe is filled with this mixture for each injection. The injections are at first given every two hours. When improvement sets in the dose is reduced to half a drachm of the eucalyptus, and the injections are given less frequently.

ON Dec. 23rd, 1891, I was called to a case of advanced I found the patient prostrate, with a temperature of 103° F. She had been absolutely confined to bed for twenty-three days. There were profuse night perspirations and tubercular diarrhœa—fifteen loose stools in the previous twenty-four hours. There were the characteristic hectic flash and club-shaped nails. The patient had had no sound, Southport. refreshing sleep for more than a week. The cough was The profuse yellow expectoration showed incessant. abundant tubercle bacilli when examined by the ZiehlNeelsen method of staining. The physical signs indicated a large cavity at the right apex and consolidation over the upper half of the lefblung. After first trying to reduce the MEDICAL, SURGICAL, OBSTETRICAL, AND THERAPEUTICAL. temperature by hydrochlorate of quinine in combination with antipyrin, and to check the diarrhœa, by dilute sulphuric acid with small doses of tincture of opium, I, finding CHRONIC INTERSTITIAL MASTITIS (TUBERthat the patient was losing strength, began on the night of Dec. 24th to give rectal injections of half a drachm of the oil CULAR) WITH CARCINOMA. of eucalyptus globulus in a tablespoonful of warm olive oil. BY W. S. CRAWFORD, B. A. CANTAB., Five of these injections were afterwards given every day till ASSISTANT SURGEON, LIVERPOOL CANCER AND SKIN HOSPITAL. the evening of Jan. 2ad, 1892. By that time three ounces of eucalyptus oil had been injected. The patienb was then THE following caae came under my care at the Liverpool able to sib up and walk abouu in her room. Her temperaand Skin Hospital, and appears interesting on, Cancer ture was normal, and had been so since Dec. 27th. The diarrhoea had ceased altogether on the 25th (the second day account of the association of tubercle and carcinoma. of the treatment by injections). The night sweats had perC. S-, aged forty-one years, sixteen years married. She sisted till Dec. 31st, when they aboceased. The patient has had six children (nursed by herself) and six miscarriages now had sound refreshing sleep every night, and ate heartily during this period. In her first lactation she had acute every day. With the results in this case before me, I was inflammation of both breasts, which subsided without the led to try the germicidal action of eucalptus by rectal injec- formation of abacess. Two years and a half ago she noticed tions in cases of influenzs, in the present epidemic. The some lumps in her right armpit, which were perfectly painfollowing are brief notes of four recent cases only, in which less and remained quiescent for some time. Six months later. these antiseptic injections constituted all the treatment as she was confined ; she suckled the child for twelve months far as drugs are concerned. They are taken at random by both breasts ; very little milk was secreted by the right from my note-book, and are fairly typical of over fifty other one. At the end of this period of nursing she noticed a C9.ses treated similarly during the past month. hard lump in the outer part of the right breast ; the. CASE 1.-T. L-, a girl aged six. Influenza. Patientfirst swelling in the axilla had been increasing in size and was seen in the afternoon on Jan. 22ad. Temperature 103°. painless. Her mother died of consumption ; there was no There was much pain in the frontal region and in the limbs family history of cancer. On examination, in the beginning, and back. A rectal injection of half a drachm of pure oil of November, 189L, the woman was very thin, pale, and, of eucalyptus globulus in an ounce of warm olive oil was miserable-looking. She stated that she had lost much, given at3 o’clock. This was repeated three hours afterwards. flesh recently. The right breast was thin and atrophied, Half an hour after the first injection she fell asleep, and more so than the left; at the upper and outer border a when she awoke asked for milk, and drank some. That small lump could be seen, about the size of a filbert ; the the temperature wad 102°. The injections were skin over this area was puckered, presenting the wellevening continued every three hours. The next morning the tempera- known "pig-skin" appearance. This swelling was found to ture was 100°.—Jan. 24th : Three more injections ; all paia be intimately incorporated with breast tissue, somewhat gone; evening temperature normal.-25th: The tempera- irregular in outline, and firmly attached to the skin;;. ture remains normal ; injections discontinued ; child eats the remainder of the breast was tough to the feel, adwell and plays; is quite cheerfal ; no further treatment herent to the deeper structures, and riddled throughout with small shot-like bodies. Two lymphatic glands under necessary. CASE 2.-Mrs. H-, aged forty-five. First symptoms the free margin of the ppctoralis major were found commenced on Jan. 22ad early in the morning. First seen enlarged and very hard. Filling up the top of the in evening (8 o’clock); temperature then 102°. Great pain axilla was a fluctuating painless swelling, mixed up with in frontal region and in back. At 8.30 P.M. one drachm an indefinite hard mass. Operation: Removal of breast and of eucalyptus oil wioh an ounce of warm oiive oil was injected glands. Some difficulty was experienced in removing the into the bowel. This wa srepeated at 10.30 P.M.—23rd: Morn- breast from the underlying structures on account of the inti, ing temperature 101° ; pain continues ; injection every two mate adhesion and thickness of the fibrous tissue. On making hours (dose as before). At night much less in head ; an incision into the axilla about two ounces of thick curdy pain in back almost gone ; temperature 99.8°-24th, morn- pus escaped, and a mass of caseating glands was removed, ing: All pain gone; temperature normal. During the day The wound was healed Ina fortnight. On Jan 30th,1892, the three more injection!’. At night temperature normal. woman presented herself for examination. She had put on Patient got up on the following day. flesh, and had lost her wobfgone expression. The opera. CASE 3.-Mr. J-, aged fifty-two. Severe influenza, tion incisions were sound, and there was no recurrence, b"gan on Jan 21st, with very acute pains; temperature 103°. Examination of parts removed: The breast consisted of Rectal injections of eucalyptus every two hours during tough fibrous tissue, interspersed throughout with small, the day.-22nd : Three more injections; all pain gone; cysts ; the majority of these when opened contained caseous temperature normal in the evening.—23rd : Patient gets material, some few containing puriform fluid. The lump up; eats well.-24th : Goes out of doors. Although weather at the outer corner of the breast cut like typical scirrhus ; the two isolated lymphatic glands were very hard and damp and cold, has no relapse. CASE 4.-Mrs. W-, aged forty. Seen on Jan. 21sb. grated on section. The axillary mass consisted of the partial Temperature 102.6°. Three rectal injections (one every two outlines of six or eight glands caseating throughout. hours).-22nd: Four more injections in the evening. All The tumour was microscopically examined by my friend,

phthisis.

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Clinical Notes :

pain