A therapeutic guide to alkaloidal-dosimetric-medication / by John M. Shaller, M.D.

  • Shaller, John M., 1856-1931.
Date:
1904
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: A therapeutic guide to alkaloidal-dosimetric-medication / by John M. Shaller, M.D. Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material has been provided by the Francis A. Countway Library of Medicine, through the Medical Heritage Library. The original may be consulted at the Francis A. Countway Library of Medicine, Harvard Medical School.

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    day. The expectant plan seems to rule. This consists in treating symptoms as they arise, in nourishing the patient and in letting the disease run its course. The use of aconitine has taught many physi- cians one important thing, viz.: that active in- terference in acute febrile diseases not only short- ens their duration, but, if begun early enough, absolutely aborts them. Aconitine does this without risk to the patient. The proper use of aconitine is not accompanied by any depress- ing influence, and convalescence is rapid. Be- sides, supportive measures are carried along in conjunction with aconitine treatment. The inac- tive, expectant plan of treatment, has been in vogue ever since active blood-letting was con- demned. One extreme followed the other. Ac- tive treatment is not always needed, but in the beginning of acute inflammatory diseases, it is absolutely demanded, with the distinct idea of jugulation. For this purpose amorphous aconi- tine is the efficient and safe remedy. There is one thing that ought to be thoroughly understood, and that is, that patients frequently recover from many diseases without any medica- tion whatever. This is true not only of the milder diseases, such as ordinary pharyngitis, but it is also true of pneumonia, diphtheria, scar- let fever, and in fact all diseases. This will prob- ably account for the great virtue that is claimed to be possessed by certain remedies, nuclein for instance. Some physicians firmly believe that this will cure almost any inflammatory disease, from an ordinary sore throat to tuberculosis. It