COLD WATER V. TYPHOID FEVER.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XXV, Issue 9011, 26 March 1888, Page 3

COLD WATER V. TYPHOID FEVER.

TO THE EDITOR. Sir,—Of late many of your correspondents have endeavoured to explain how typhoid fever originates. This is all very well, but while the ounce of prevention is lacking, let us use the pound of cure. The use of cold water externally has been advocated for many years. The writer knows from personal experience the value of this treatment, and desires the truth to be established, viz., that in the early stage of the disease it is the natural cure, and the most reliable in every stage of the complaint. Cold water prevents the development of the malady, it removes the head symptoms, stops diarrhoea, prevents perforation of the bowels, reduces the pulse, and soothes the patient. The forehead and intestines are the parts chiefly affected. The usual symptoms are headache, weariness, quickness of the pulse, the beat varying from 90 to 120 per minute, gurgling in the bowels, especially on the right side, diarrhoea, which, commencing with brown, works on to greenish evacuations, contain.

ing white shreds of apparently detached membrane. There may bo pains in the limbs and bleeding from the nose. It is advisable to keep constantly applied to the forehead and bowels web bandages, the colder the better. These must be changed as soon as warm. Cold baths daily are beneficial. If the patient is sufficiently strong let him step into tepid water and apply cold water freely to the face, forehead, chest, and abdomen. The drink and food should consist of thick linseed tea, and milk, the strained liquor from stewed fowl, and barley, arrowroot, and well-beaten eggs uncooked, or, when the patient feels stronger, breast of fowl and boiled barley. Linseed tea is of special value, and should always bo administered. Everything should be given cool, in small quantities, and often. The invalid's room should be thoroughly ventilated and disinfected. Condy's fluid ought) to be used freely in the bedroom utensils, and all excretions buried two feet underground at once. Earnestly recommending the cold water treatment to your readers.— I am, &c, Andrew Buchanan.