350 DISEASES OF UNCERTAIN ETIOLOGY 



Yeast can be obtained as — 



Export yeast, of which give 2 ounces daily. 



Royal yeast cakes of 15 grm. each, give six daily. 



Fresh yeast from local bakeries, 250 c.c. daily. 



Pour into the yeast some boiling milk, stir it into a thin cream, 



add more hot milk and sugar to make it more palatable. 

 It can be flavoured with essence of lemon. 

 Foods should be given, as the patient improves, in the order men- 

 tioned, viz. : Pea soup, eggs, fresh milk, brain, liver, sweetbread, 

 kidneys, peas, beans, lentils, porridge, brown bread, meat, and fresh 

 lemon-juice the whole time. 



An extract of the outer husk of rice after polishing daily, to infants 

 (Vedder), in twenty-drop doses, two hourly. 

 Eliminate rice from the diet as a rule. 



Good hygienic surroundings are essential. Little water is 

 necessary. 



Disinfect the supposed infected house. 



EPIDEMIC DROPSY. 

 DEFINITION. 



A specific endemic disease, lasting from three to six weeks with 

 fever, profound anaemia and the sudden appearance of anasarca. 



DISTRIBUTION. 



In Calcutta, Assam, Daka, Mauritius. 



It disappears as the hot weather comes. 



In Mauritius, one tenth of the population was attacked with a mor- 

 tality of 2 to 3 per cent. 729 died during the epidemic. 



In Calcutta the attack was more limited, but it had a mortality of 

 20 to 40 per cent. 



Europeans in these localities were not affected. 



^ETIOLOGY. 



Both sexes of all ages are equally susceptible. 

 The disease may remain latent, breaking out later. 

 It is not very contagious if at all. 

 How it is transmitted has not been ascertained. 

 The causation is unknown. 



SYMPTOMS. 



In Mauritius the epidemic was introduced by diarrhoea and 

 vomiting. 



There is itching and burning of the soles of the feet. 

 Oedema was invariably present, the legs being involved first. 



