PARTURITION FEVER. 



413 



When the disease exists, the treatment must especially consist in 

 vcombating the more alarming symptoms : the paralysis of the vol- 

 imtary muscles, that of the muscles with unstriped fibres, and the 

 cerebral depression. It would be illusory to attempt to reach the 

 cause. We must as much as possible avoid giving any medicinal 

 agents through the mouth on account of the danger of having them 

 go the wrong way, and pneumonia from foreign bodies result. The 

 administration by hypodermatic injection is much preferable. 



1. We should counteract the general paralysis and the nervous 

 depression with stimulants, administered in preference in subcu- 

 taneous injections: veratrine (0.1 to 0.2 gramme), caffeine (5 

 grammes), spirits of camphor (an injection of 5 to 10 grammes 

 ^very hour), ether (2 to 5 grammes per hour) nitrate of strychnine 

 (0.02 to 0.05 gramme per dose), sulphate of eserine, which excites 

 also the intestinal peristaltic movements (0.1 to 0.3 gramme per 

 dose, dissolved in 2 to 5 grammes of plain water, or of a sublimate 

 solution 1 : 1000). Bat eserine, like other remedies, is often abso- 

 lutely inefficient. 



The principal stimulants administered internally are : wine 

 (which is also a valuable analeptic), essence of turpentine, carbonate 

 of ammonia, acetate of ammonia, brandy and diluted alcohol, which 

 many practitioners use in doses large enough to produce drunken- 

 ness. Instead of giving these medicines in drinks, it is more advis- 

 able to administer them in the shape of clysters. The most used 

 external stimulants are cutaneous frictions with essence of turpen- 

 tine, camphorated alcohol, oil of mustard, croton oil, diluted ammo- 

 nia, etc. ; and frictions of stibiated ointment (1 : 4), cold and warm 

 compresses, cold douches upon the head, the application of Mayor's 

 liammer along the spinal cord, taking care to cover the skin with a 

 woollen cloth, etc. Some veterinarians have used electricity with 

 advantage. Bleeding has been found useful in some cases and 

 valueless in others. 



2. We should use drastics to combat the cessation of peristaltic 

 movements of the intestine, those which likewise act as derivatives 

 upon the digestive canal ; such as eserine, tartar emetic (10 to 15 

 grammes per dose), croton oil (20 to 25 drops in a mucilaginous 

 decoction), aloes (40 to 50 grammes), sulphate of soda (500 to 1000 

 grammes), etc. Injections or a rectal exploration frequently repeated, 

 and the manual extraction of fecal matters, have a similar action to 

 lhat of these agents. 



