To Dr. Cormack, editor of Association Medical Journal.

  • Macloughlin, David, 1786-1870.
Date:
[1855]
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: To Dr. Cormack, editor of Association Medical Journal. Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material has been provided by The Royal College of Surgeons of England. The original may be consulted at The Royal College of Surgeons of England.

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    to be cholera, and prescribed accordingly: but that his patient expired three hours after. The Apothecary of the Free Hospital told me that this man was taking two drachms of the sulphate of magnesia dissolved in three ounces of water, coloured with a few drops of a red infusion, daily. There can be no doubt that this was a case of cholera; and as a functional derangement of the stomach and bowels is on the increase at present in London, it cannot be doubted that this man suffered at the time under this epidemic influence, and that the purgative medicine did bring on an attack of diarrhoea, followed by developed cholera and death. This case, therefore, comes in support of what I had the honour to state to the President of the General Board of Health, that this is the time to study the rise and progress of this change which takes place on the constitution of the whole population, where epidemic diarrhoea and epidemic cholera are about to take place ; and, I repeat, which is marked by the great susceptibility of the stomach and bowels to purgative medicines, so that, one-half, one-third, or one-quarter, of the usual dose of purgative medicines, will now act as freely as a full dose would do at any other time, and that a full dose will bring on diarrhoea, followed by fatal cholera, as has occurred in this case. 14t/i March, 1856.