New Cure for Consumption.

Auckland Star, Volume XIX, Issue 194, 18 August 1888, Page 2 (Supplement)

New Cure for Consumption.

A coivttE3FONDENT writes:—An interesting paper on menthol, and its value in ..the, treatment of ' consumption and ' other diseases, has lately been published by Dr. Beehay, late clinical assistant in the throat department of the Edinburgh Infirmary. Dr. Beehay'B paper is an important contribution toniedical literature, and does more, than any other since the publication ,of Koch's discoveries' to, place the treatmentof phthisis on a','rational basis. The properties of mettthol which render it serviceable in Itwig disease are :—(1) Its volatility, which makes possible its direct application to every part of the'respiratory,', tract j (2) its;'great antiseptic power, even in the gaseous state, by whion the vitality of, the tubercle bacillus or disease germ of con-? sumption is lowered and even destroyed; (3) its antesrhetic power, by which pain-is alleviated or wholly removed ; and, (4) its power of stimulating the blood vessels, and, of putting them into a fit condition for maintaining and improving the nutrition of. the" tissues. In pulmojnary phtbi-, sis, Dr. Beehay advises that 20 , : or, 30 minim.3 of a 20 per cent, solution of menthol in olive .oil be" injected' into the trachea or.windpipe by means o aisyringe; devised/ by hhiiself and made by Gardner, of Edinburgh. This, of course, must bo dono by a physician,.and. Js followed by no worse results than some, difficulty in drawing breath for, a;,few seconds. The menthol, under the influence of thereat of the body, bogins at once to >oss into vapour, and co ia borne into oven B|^^i^(st;^.distant:, and minute of the on every,part of the lungs. • Another but: less efficacious method'of securing the same end is by "the' use of the respirator,; upon which 15 minutes of the oily solution should be'i'dropped, and;which should be worn.as much as possible both night a'ndJ day. Very, soon tho good effects of this treatment) become apparent. The breathing gets "to be lighter and freer, expectoration becomes less and le?s purulent, and finally ceases, cough .improves, nierhfc sweats diminish, the, body, gains in weight, ajjd the. who'e sygtein acquii'fia the yjfjovir.and .vitality of perfect"healths .Dr.' Beeliay tells of a. patient';whose ..recoyery; rf com phthisis Was so perfect that o'e' fWssVable to pass the examination for life,assurance at: the hands of a well-known expert in lung disease... Of, course,. such .'.results cannot be obtained -in the lower .stages of the disease, when great portions of lun" tissue'are destroyed, but even in ithose cases;;'many of the .distressing symptoms araaHeviated aridsi|j.is prolonged. Constifnption is not limited to the lungs' ft may attack every organ of the,,body~but it evinces a .special predilection for th o larynx or organ of vpioe. In the phthisis jarnyses, asthe disease is then called, the principal "symptoms, are alteration and gradual loss of vpioe, cough, expectoration. and ''. 'a'difficulty;in swallowing. -By'-the aid of the'laryngoscope the condition can t»e;fully studied,. and the remedy "^j. curately applied, Mwtljpl In oily adlutiou

Bauirtedonce,o|,twioe J a4ayon,tha,affeoted ; S'bf means^of the laryngeal flfrfW,* FeadV irieritione^ii'cfc blo\vn by means ofthe Roon works ajstriking .:change in the pat ent.'s state^lesiening secretion, healing Ekei-s, and malfing ( the .whole surface clean and healthy. ..Afterr.even one, application the pain is so reduced .that swallowing can be accomplished: \yith :■ bomparative _ea9e, •aiid thus ah im|jrc)vement in nutrition is madespossible^Sp^ull, inforaation the numerous 'applieattons^ of menthol we must refer-readers to Dr. ' Beehay s paper, but one of these is so valuable in tke eyes' of medical liieni that;, it must find a place in: this notice. Among._ the diseases of men few have hitherto beendeemed so intractable and so repulsive; as ozajna. This is marked by severe heaclaolie, and byafcetor of breath so disgusting as to incapacitate the patfentfrommanyof theemployments and pleasureof civiliseds life. Ail sorts of remedies have been tried, but not one was successor 1 n completely removing the foul stoncli till Beehay's snuff was invented and applied. This consists of inonthol (powdered), boracic acid,- ana ammonium chloride, in the proportions IV 2, 3, and has given complete satisfaction -to both patients and their associa'os. Iho smell and hoadaches, which frcqnontly last for years, disappear entirely after the snuir has boon employed for two days. Oj: course, tho remedy musb-.be properly used and continued for a considerable time. iJr. Boelmy recommends that a pinch, ot the snuff be taken "at lest; twelve times a <Jay> and that the nose bo nob blown for a few minutes. By this method the nose is cleansed arid disinfected so thoroughly that tho stiuking aroma and tho headaches which it causes are both dispelled, i