Diphtheria and Group Cure

Feilding Star, Volume XIII, Issue 8, 18 July 1891, Page 4

Diphtheria and Group Cure

In a report to the French Academy j lof Medicine/ Dr Deithell states t,ha- j the"vapour« of "liquid tar and turpen- I tine would dissolve'the fibrinous exhat - lations which choke up the throat in croup and " diph'tHeria. The process is:— Take equal ' part's (say ' two tablespoonfuls) "of "turpentiuV aud liquid tar^put them into a tin pau or cupjind set fire^tb'fche mixture, taking L 'care"t6 have a large pan under it as safeguard against fire. A' dense resinous smoke, arises, making, the room dark. The., patient, immediately seems to experience relief ; the cbok- ' ing and the rattle stop ; the patient falls into a slumber and seems to in- ' halethesmoke/with pleasure. The V fibrinous' membrane soon becomes ' -detached and the patient coughs up micro biedas. These when caught in a glass, may, be; seen to dissolve in the smoke. In the course of three or four days the "patient entirely recovers." The St. 'L'ouis^Globe Democrat says the above information has been largely - copied into American papers, and with it the-reUef and cure of Ruth Lockwqoj3 Kl a- nine-year old t child, who was dangerously sick with diphtheria, but " "the disease readily yielded to the above treatment, and^the child was cured. A case occurringin Boston recently is worthyj. o|-iiote. ■ The facts 'in the case in brief, are as ■• follows :— Jennie Brown, a_child of some five years of age v was dangerously sick with diphtheria ;-herattending;physician had no hopes of her -recovery ; ; he declared to •a'pefßon, that 'out of the; many cases under, v:- his ■; treatment .three were beyond cure,, and little Jennie was one of tHat-number. The father of the - child' ! had read of the* above treatment, — he'tibtained the; mixture, taking two tablespoonfuls of each, but he .now -considers, one pf,each woul4 have been sufficient, and there,; would have been -less^angejr of, burning the carpet, etc. The^chilxi, was in .Jbed,, breathing so loua |hat it eoulji be, heard aLI over the house-: but as soon as the tar and "-turpentine began'to burn she was rei.lieved, jand . breathed; quite freely, and - soon commenced to cpugh anH raise ; and, to the father's surprise and delight - : she 'commenced to' gain from that momenfr. He followed up his treatrvmenfrfor three '■ nights, * the attending ■?■ physician-approving it, and the child ; is now well. The other two children -.- alluded to above did not ( . have this 'treatment," and they are numbered with : the dead. 'This remedy may not '■• be an infallible Cure 'in all cases, and - '"with' all ''persons, ; but 1 surely it could "■■ do no in c^ses that have been i^. giveri'Up^s" incurable by the medical i^anen.