SIXTIETH QUARTERLY SESSION, HELD AT AKRON, OHIO, TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 2,
1886.
The president, DR. J. E. DOUGHERTY, in the chair.
DR. BAUER, of the Committee on Obituaries, was instructed to prepare a
fitting memorial to be read at the next meeting upon the death of Dr. J.
C. Ferguson of Mogadore.
DR. PIERSON read a history of a clinical case. The clinical committee,
consisting of Drs. Hitchcock, Bauer and Rowe, after examination,
reported the case to be one of chronic pleuritis with adhesions and
effusion, and recommended alterative treatment.
DR. FISHER read a report of a case of puerperal convulsions, in which
venesection had been resorted to with favorable results.
In the discussion which followed, DR. SHIVELY said he did not believe in
blood-letting, but would rely upon _drastic cathartics_ and anæsthetics.
DR. WRIGHT, in a practice of fifty years, had employed blood-letting in
a few cases with good results.
DR. EVERHARD had seen several cases, and favored the use of anæsthetics,
but objected to the use of morphine on the ground of the supposed uræmic
pathology of puerperal convulsions.
DR. HOWARD thought Dr. Fisher’s treatment of the case good, and believed
emphatically in blood-letting, and also in the use of arterial
sedatives, such as verat., vir., etc.
DR. T. C. MILLER believed in thorough narcosis, giving morphine
hypodermically until the effects were noticeable on the respiration.
Anæsthetics are good, but can not be given continuously. The physician
giving the anæsthetic, when the convulsions cease will not crowd the
anæsthetic, and almost before he is aware of it the convulsions will
return. We have much to learn about the pathology of puerperal
convulsions. The speaker does not believe it to be uræmic. All of his
cases in which he gave narcotics thoroughly from the first recovered;
cases in which he used blood-letting died.
DR. VANCE believed that the treatment advised by Dr. Miller would result
disastrously in many cases, and spoke at some length, showing that the
latest authorities believed the true pathology of the trouble to be
uræmic.
DR. PIXLEY asked, after hearing so many opinions from so many
distinguished speakers: “What is Dr. Pixley going to do to-night if he
meets a case of puerperal convulsions? One speaker swears, if you bleed,
your patient will die; another swears, if you don’t bleed, your patient
will die; a third says, you must give opium; another says, you must not;
another says, you must give anæsthetics; another veratrum, another
cathartics.” Now, after all of this light upon the subject, he would do
as he always has done—apply cold to the head, warmth to the extremities,
maybe give a little opium, possibly bleed a little, equalize the
circulation, and deliver as soon as possible. Some of his patients will
live and some will die.
DR. HOWARD submitted to the society, for signatures, a petition to the
State Legislature in the interests of what is known as the “Sharpe
bill,” for the creation of a State Board of Health and a State Board of
Medical Examiners.
Adjourned to 1:30 P. M.