European and Asiatic Turkey. 121 



courage a further trial of the same practice. I had lately an op- 

 portunity of putting this prophylactic property of belladonna to 

 the test, in the case of a young gentleman whom I attended 

 along with Dr Jacob, and who was at the very crisis of a violent 

 purulent ophthalmia with ulcers of the cornea, when scarlet fever 

 made its appearance in the family. In his extremely reduced 

 state, a new disease would have destroyed his eyes, if not his life. 

 We immediately put him and his brother, who was recovering 

 from common fever, on the use of belladonna, and they both 

 escaped scarlatina, while two other children were attacked. It 

 is true, that after the first case of scarlatina had appeared in the 

 house, our patients were separated from the rest as carefully as 

 is possible to effect in a numerous family ; the evidence is, there- 

 fore, so far incomplete, and indeed no positive inference can be 

 drawn from an experiment on so small a scale. 



The following interesting observation concerning the scarlet 

 fever epidemic at Monastir, deserves notice : — 



The disease invariably commenced with symptoms bearing all 

 the characters of the true inflammatory type, and consequently 

 some of Dr Oppenheim's colleagues were tempted to make use 

 of very energetic antiphlogistic measures — measures sure to be 

 followed by a typhous state, which generally ended fatally. A 

 few years ago, it would have been very injurious to any writer's 

 reputation even to hint at a typhous state being induced or ac- 

 celerated by antiphlogistic treatment in the commencement of 

 any disease whatsoever. The Brunonians, who treated all fe- 

 brile diseases with stimulants and opiates, were scarcely more 

 destructive practitioners than their lancet-wielding successors. 

 As in most controversies, truth lies between the two extremes. 

 It is singular enough that Dr Oppenheim did not see a single 

 case of measles during his residence in Turkey ; nor had any of 

 his medical acquaintances, several of whom had practised many 

 years in that country, ever witnessed one. 



Urticaria and herpes, particularly in the form herpes zoster, 

 are very frequent in Turkey, as are also miliary and petechial 

 eruptions, neither of which are dangerous, unless when sympto- 

 matic of the plague. * 



Of chronic cutaneous complaints, the most common are impe- 

 tigo, porrigo, and scabies, aM of which are treated by the popu- 



