Observations on sulphureous fumigations, as a powerful remedy in rheumatism and diseases of the skin / by William Wallace.

  • Wallace, William.
Date:
1820
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Observations on sulphureous fumigations, as a powerful remedy in rheumatism and diseases of the skin / by William Wallace. Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material has been provided by Royal College of Physicians, London. The original may be consulted at Royal College of Physicians, London.

    84/102 (page 78)
    the exigencies of various cases, requires a degree of' intelligence not easily found; and, without proper attention, we shall not only uniformly fail, but also give much unnecessary distress to the patient.* The temperature of the apparatus should be such as, without creating uncomfortable feelings, will cause a copious flow of perspiration, about ten or fifteen minutes after the patient has entered the apparatus ; and, as very different degrees of heat will be required for this purpose, dependent on the various circumstances of sex, age, temperament, or disease, no very determined rule can be laid down. For the most part, I have found a range from 100°-to 120° of F^ necesssary. Sometimes however, a lower temperature has answered the purpose ; and, not unfrequently, patients have expressed themselves better pleased with one much higher. In general, when the patient has been in the apparatus about ten or fifteen minutes, we remark his face to become red, his eyes brilliant and more prominent, his pupils much dilated, the capillaries of the conjunctiva injected with red blood, and all the appearance of a high degree of excitement. This is soon followed by an effusion of perspira- tion ; first in minute points, afterwards in larger drops, and, in some cases, it becomes so profuse as to trickle in a large quantity down the cheeks. * For the minute details respecting the operation of fumiga- tion, see Appendix.