71 
P A T II O L O G Y. 
fife, that of comprifing a good hiftory of its fubjeCt, with 
obfervations and arguments qualified to fupport thofe of 
former well-informed writers, rather than demonftrative 
of any thing of remarkable originality, is the work of 
Dr. Rufton the Egyptian Ophthalmy. His moft important 
and interefting observations relate to the appearance of 
ophthalmy in thegarrifon at Mainz in 1818. The difeafe 
had been prefent in the army during the campaigns of 
1813, 1814, and 1815; but it was not till the time above 
mentioned that it manifefted itfelf in an alarming man¬ 
ner. Its prevalence occurred under the following cir- 
cumffances. It affeCled only the men of one regiment, 
and, for the moft part, only fome Pomeranian, Lower- 
Rhenifh, and Naffau, recruits. This regiment made a 
very harraffing march from the Rhine to Silefia, and back 
again, in the autumn of 1817 and the Spring of 1818. 
On its return, the men were crowded into a tranfport 
with Several French invalids, amongft whom were many' 
who had loft their fight from ophthalmy. On the arrival 
of the regiment at Mainz, about a third part of the re¬ 
giment were found to have the itch. After this was got 
rid of, Several other cutaneous difeafes appeared, as Scar¬ 
let fever, meafles, varioloid difeafes, and nettle-rafh ; 
and, on the decline of thefe, the affeCtion of the eyes 
firft appeared. It augmented in Severity from June to 
September 1818, when it continued nearly ftationary, in 
regard to prevalence and Severity, till March and April 
1819, wdien its extent became more confined ; but its 
deftruCtive agency was far from being fuppreffed until 
after the moft Uriel meafures for preventing its infection 
had been reformed to. 
Whilft the Pruftian regiment at Mainz was Suffering 
from this difeafe, the Auftrian Soldiers were entirely ex¬ 
empt from it, though they both lived under the fame 
climate and performed Similar duty. But, whilft this 
argument in favour of the propagation of the difeafe by 
contagion is brought forward, we muft not negleCt to 
notice thofe which favour the opinion of its primary 
origin from cafual external circumitances. The whole of 
the faCts related by Dr. Ruft fupport the opinion of Dr. 
Vetch, that purulent ophthalmia originating from any 
common caufes may become contagious; or, in other 
words, that a puriform Secretion from the mucous mem¬ 
brane of the eye, from whatfoever caufe, is capable of 
inferring, by contaCt, the mucous membrane of the eye 
of another perfon, and of thus producing a difeafe Similar 
to that from which it originated. It Should beconfidered 
that the difeafe firft appeared in the recruits in the Pruf- 
lian army ; that the military discipline of the Pruftian 
army is much more Severe and harrafting than that of the 
Auftrian army ; and that this Severity was further in¬ 
creased as the number of the Sick augmented. One part 
of the military discipline to which thofe recruits were 
Submitted, was that of having the hair cut very clofe 
over the whole of the upper part of the head, on their 
entry into the ranks, whilft they adopted the practice of 
conftar.tly wetting the back part of the head with beer 
and Soap, for the purpofe of' making their hair grow cn 
queue-, and a very defective covering for the head was 
commonly worn. Thefe circumftances may be consi¬ 
dered quite Sufficient to produce a difpofition to ophthal¬ 
mia, juft in the way in which it was manifefted. Dr. 
Ruft arrived at the garrifon on the 5th of April, 1819. 
He immediately put in force the moft effectual means for 
preventing the progrefs of the difeafe, fuppofing it to 
be communicated from one individual to another by 
contagion. The numberof patients now decreafed from 
month to month, till October, wdien the garrifon was 
relieved, and the difeale was fuppofed-to be w holly de- 
ftroyed. From June 1818, to the end of April 1819, the 
numberof patients amounted to 1146; from this time to 
September 1819, only 65a new cafes occurred; fo that 
the whole numberof patients was 1798, not including 
one regimental phyfician, two hofpital Surgeons, and 
twelve nurfes, who were affeCted with the difeafe. 
The method of applying Sulphur in a gazeous form to 
the Surface of the body, w’as firft introduced by Dr. Gales 
of Paris. The refult of the experiments and obfervations 
made on its employment, by a medical jury appointed 
for the purpofe, was fo Satisfactory, that by order of go¬ 
vernment it was fpeedily introduced into all thehofpitals 
of France, and was generally recommended in practice 
by the phyficians of that country. It confifts in applying 
the vapour ariiing from ignited fulphur to the naked 
body of the patient, feated for that purpofe in a fort of 
wooden cafe, in the upper part of wdiich thereisanaperture 
for the head. To the circumference of this aperture a 
leather bag is attached, which isfaftened round the neck, 
and thus prevents the fumes of the fulphur from reaching 
the eyes, nofe, or mouth. The effeCt of the fumigation 
is to produce, in the firft inftance, increafed adlion, and 
fubfequently moft profufe perfpiration; greater, indeed, 
than we have ever-Seen produced by any other means. 
Hence, it appears to be indicated, ift, where quick and 
Ridden perfpiration is of benefit; and zdly, where fulphur 
appears to have a Specific adlion. 
The Sulphureous fumigating baths were introduced 
into Germany by Dr. De Carro, of Vienna, whole name 
is already ennobled in the annals of humanity by the in- 
trodudlion of vaccination to the continent of Afia. The 
apparatus confifts of a wooden cafe, Something like a 
pulpit, in which a grown perfon can fit with eafe up 
to the neck. This cafe is plaftered internally. Its floor, 
formed by a ftone of two or three inches in thicknefs, is 
raifed fo far above the ground as to require three Heps to 
get into the cafe. Underneath are the parts neceflary for 
producing the fumigation. The loweft ftory is the afh- 
pit, the uppertnoft the hearth for the fulphur, and the 
middle contains the fire. The uppermoft divifion com- 
municates'freely with the interior of the cafe, by means 
of holes bored in the ftone floor of the cafe. A pipe con¬ 
veys the fmoke from the divifion containing the fire into 
the chimney. Another pipe pafies from the cafe into 
the chimney. This may be opened or Unit by means of 
a valve; and, after the operation is concluded, it con¬ 
veys what remains of the Sulphureous fumes into the 
chimney. From this Iketch of the apparatus, the me¬ 
thod of ufing it is evident. The patient, perfedlly na¬ 
ked, Heps into the cafe, and feats himfelf on a chair, 
which may be railed or lowered at pleafure. He places 
his feet upon a ftool. Both the chair and (too! are 
perforated with holes, to admit the free paftage of the 
fumes to all parts of the body. The uppermoft board, 
forming the head of the apparatus, is now let down, fo 
that the patient is completely enclofed in the cafe, with 
the exception of the head. Provilion is made for pre¬ 
venting the fumes aCting on the eyes, or entering the 
mouth or nofe, as already mentioned. 
There are various methods of applying the vapour to 
the face, when the difeafe has its feat there, the moft 
Simple of which is a.flexible pipe, which communicates 
with the fulphureous vapour. The patient remains in 
the bath half an hour, or at moft an hour. About five 
minutes before the conclufion of the fumigation, the 
valve in the fulphur-pipe is opened, and thus all unplea- 
fant fmell is avoided on opening the door of the cafe. 
The patient now goes to bed for an hour or two. 
The cafes in which the fulphureous fumigation is 
chiefly ufed, are cafes of chronic rheumatifm, pfora, le¬ 
pra, and other cutaneous affections, where fulphur is 
ufually found of advantage. In all of thefe the benefit 
derived is very ftriking, and the fhortnefs of the period 
neceflary for the cure really aftonifning. Some cafes of 
old chronic rheumatifm have yielded completely in a few 
weeks to this remedy. One reafon of the great fuccefs 
attending Dr. De Carro’s pradice, was the judicious Se¬ 
lection of cafes which he made, whereas many practition¬ 
ers have employed thefe fumigations far too indiscrimi¬ 
nately, and then u'ondered at the failures which took 
place. The practice of fulphureous fumigation has been 
made 
