THE TREATMENT OF ASIATIC CHOLEEA. 



87 



meters), ether (1.2 to 1.7 cubic centimeters), or cocaine (0.016 gram 

 to 4 cubic centimeters of water) were employed in the treatment of this 

 symptom. 



As to diet, for the first twenty-four to thirty-six hours no nourish- 

 ment was given; after this time rice water or soups and broths and 

 coffee were administered. The amount was limited, however, a cup of 

 soup with a little coffee was usually more than a patient would care to 

 take at one meal. As the patient began to convalesce a larger amount 

 was given or a soft diet allowed. This usually consisted of soft toast 

 and rice water with some rice. A liberal diet was gradually substituted. 



IV. THE TREATMENT AND MORTALITY OF UBJEMIA. 

 Table III. — Showing the results obtained hy the different methods in urcemia. 



Method of treatment. 



Stiihulation 



Subcutaneous injection 



Subcutaneous and intravenous Injections 

 Intravenous injection 



Cases 

 surviving 

 collapse 



118 

 79 

 27 



■ 75 



Deaths 



from 



uraemia. 



Per cent. 



16.9 

 26.5 

 37.4 

 29.3 



It will be seen that among the cases in which no saline solution was 

 injected the mortality from uraemia was 16.9 per cent. The worst 

 cases of collapse are apt to develop the most severe urasmia. These 

 cases are largely saved from death in collapse by intravenous injections, 

 but are more likely to develop uraemia than the less severe cases which 

 pass through collapse without having received heroic methods of treat- 

 ment. Hence the increase of uremia by 12.4 per cent in the cases 

 treated by intravenous saline injections is to be expected; moreover the 

 small difference of 2.8 per cent in the mortality between the cases 

 treated by the subcutaneous and intravenous methods also argues against 

 the production of uraemia by the intravenous method and gives no ground 

 for fear in the liberal injection of saline solution into the veins as com- 

 pared with that into the subcutaneous tissue. 



Therefore, from the results of treatment in these cases, there is no 

 doubt that the method of intravenous injection of saline solution in 

 cholera is much superior to any other form of treatment as it reduced the 

 mortality from collapse and did not increase in itself the mortality from 

 uraemia. 



Of the cases treated intravenously who survived collapse, 45.4 per 

 cent developed urgemic symptoms more or less marked; of these cases 

 64.3 per cent died and 35.7 per cent recovered. Figure VI shows the ages 

 of those who developed uraemia and the percentage of those who died 

 of it. Treatment was most effective between 20 to 29 and 40 to 49 years. 



84022 — —2 



