Kent's cases 111: Vomiting blood in dropsy. China

Clique em Longevid!

 

Mrs. F., aet 84, at the Memorial Home.Some months before I assumed control of the Home this old lady had an
attack of vomiting blood.
The matron declared there was over a gallon the physician then in charge
said lie never saw- so large a quantity of blood vomited, and expressed his
opinion that it was from the lung as he did not see the act of vomiting,
disputing the matron who saw the vomiting.
The treatment was directed to prevent another hemorrhage from the lungs-
large doses of astringents.
The old lady continued to decline, and when the attendant acknowledged
his impotence in the case, and the friends of the old lady outside the Home
made complaint, I was requested to assume the duties of medical attendant
of the Home, and this case with others came under charge.
The matron explained the situation and I immediately suspected that the
hemorrhage came from an ulcer in the stomach. The dropsical condition
prevented a satisfactory examination, but the subjective history confirmed
the diagnosis.
But the important thing is the dropsy.
Her limbs were enormously swollen and her abdomen no less so, and her
stomach could not tolerate nothing but a little milk.
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The dropsy having a hemorrhage for its cause guided me to the selection of
China, which was repeated at proper intervals in 77m; while she was going
down rapidly she began immediately to improve.
No other medicine has been given and she is as well as anybody in the
Home.
As she had been so near the angels she has the liberty of the house and is a
general pet; running three long stairs, visiting all the rooms and chatting
and joking everybody.
Old people recover when given the right remedy in suitable potency in a
surprising manner. Some years ago I supposed that when an old person
became dropsical his or her time had come.
At present, I do not declare an unfavorable prognosis because of old age,
but when the disease causing the dropsy is one hard to manage regardless
of age.