THE MICEOSCOPE. 99 



CHOLERA: ITS PREVENTION AND TREATMENT. 



BY ELMER LEE, M. D. CHICAGO, ILL. 



A mass meeting of physicians for the consideration of the 

 above subject was recently held at the Great Northern Hotel, 

 under the auspices of the Practitioners' Club of Chicago, and 

 the following paper was read. 



The leading propositions suggested and tried in the treat- 

 ment of Asiatic cholera during the epidemic of 1892 in Europe 

 consisted of the following general plans. Early in the epi- 

 demic, lactic acid treatment was proposed on the ground that 

 it would neutralize the alkaline accumulations in the bowels 

 and so stop the multiplication of the bacilli. 



An Englishman residing in Paris considered cholera a hy- 

 peraemia of the spinal cord. His prescription was ice poultices 

 continuously applied to the region of the whole spinal column. 

 A small pamphlet was published by the doctor in defense of 

 his conclusions and to present testimonials in favor of his con- 

 gestion-theory. As this system of management was not seri- 

 ously considered by cholera physicians its efficacy cannot be 

 stated. 



The use of large doses of the Russian remedy, salol, the in- 

 vention of Prof. Nenski, of St. Petersburg, grew in favor as a 

 new remedy during the epidemic. The average result of cases 

 so treated in St. Petersburg, and by my American colleague, 

 Blackstein, in Baku, and in other provinces in Southern Rus- 

 sia, could not be said to be satisfactory. Finally, at the last 

 of the epidemic, its influences had come to be considered less 

 and less valuable — this, however, can be said — it was in all 

 and all more largely used than any other new remedy. Still 

 it would not be safe to place too much trust in it. 



Calomel was everywhere a remedy even more used than salol. 

 Formerly this drug was used in very large doses, but last year 

 it was the very small doses which found favor. Especially 

 was this true in the treatment of cholera in Hamburg. 



Of the surgical measures, the infusion of solutions of salt 

 were most practiced. The solution consisted of distilled water 

 in which was dissolved one half of one per cent, of common 

 salt. This liquid was warmed to the temperature of the blood 

 and either introduced directly into some large vein or injected 



