Sessional_Paper_1891 — Page 362

358.

INDER S

ET. 21, INDIAN POLICE CONSTABLE.

Hour of duty (10 P.M. to 6 A.M.)

Admitted 1.50 P.M. December 6th, 1890.

He stated that diarrhoea commenced in the previous night and up to 6 A.M., his bowels had been opened five times, from 6 A.M. until his admission he had had them moved six times. He was placed on milk diet and ordered grain of Arsenite of Copper in solution, the dose to be given every ten minutes for an hour and after that hourly.

P

3

Evening visit, his bowels had been open five times since his admission, and on examination were found to be quite liquid with mucus and blood present, medicine to be continued in hourly doses.

December 7th, morning visit, bowels had been moved three times during the night. Evening visit, bowels had been open four times since the morning.

8th, morning visit, bowels had only been open once during the night, and fœces were slightly formed.

From this date he rapidly recovered, on the 10th, the medicine was ordered thrice daily, and he was placed on low diet.

On the 11th, he was discharged at his own request.

He had been in the Hospital before, suffering from the same complaint.

This patient was readmitted on the 15th December, with a slight return of dysenteric diarrhoea and was treated in exactly the same way and was discharged cured on the 22nd instant, and since then he has had no relapse.

The following brief notes shew the progress of the case :-

Admitted 12.30 midday, 15th December, with slight fever temperature 102 F., he stated that his bowels had been loose again, having been open four times that morning, he was given four grains of phenacetin, at once this brought his temperature down to 99° F. (by 6 P.M.,) and 20 grain of Arse- nite of Copper was ordered every ten minutes for an hour and then to be given hourly, he was placed on milk diet.

Evening visit, bowels had been open twice since his admission.

December 16th, morning visit, temperature 98.8° F., bowels open twice during the night. Evening visit, temperature 100.2° F., at 8 P.M., another phenacetin powder was given. Bowels open twice since morning, not so much straining.

17th, morning visit, temperature normal and continued so until his discharge, bowels had only been open once during the night.

From this date he continued to improve, on the 19th, the medicine was ordered every four hours, and he was placed on low diet, on the 21st, it was reduced to three doses daily and he was placed on full diet; and was discharged cured on the 22nd.

REMARKS.

These cases tend to prove that in Arsenite of Copper we have a valuable remedy for some cases of Dysentery.

The form in which the drug has been given is as follows:-

Arsenious Acid

Copper Sulphate (Cryst)

Acid Sulphuric dilute

Water ad......

Dose one ounce

.328 grains. 1.33 grains.

25 minims.

200 ounces.

... (246 grain).

The second case is particularly instructive as this patient was brought into the Hospital twenty- three days after he had been discharged cured from the Dysentery with a gunshot wound which proved fatal: At the Post Mortem Examination, the mucus membrane of the large intestine was quite normal with the exception that where the ulcers had existed, there was a slight depression.

J. M. ATKINSON.

Appendix D.

A CASE OF FRACTURED SPINE.

OPERATION.

NAGADIN, a Japanese man, age 23, fell down a stair while under the influence of alcohol and, as he could not walk at all afterwards, was immediately brought to Hospital where he was admitted at 1.40 A.M. on the 1st of July. It was at once seen that he was suffering from fractured spine. He was carefully examined at the following morning visit when the undermentioned state of affairs was found.

There was a small bruise in the small of the back, and à distinct fracture of the spine in the lower dorsal and upper lumbar region. The last dorsal and upper two lumbar spinous processes were fract- ured and displaced-there was no evidence of the bodies of the vertebræ being displaced. There was