Electro-physiology and electro-therapeutics : showing the best methods for the medical uses of electricity / By Alfred C. Garratt.
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" Whenever I see a young subject the victim of chorea, I always suspect that it has its origin in rheumatism. Believe me, rheu- matism is a very eccentric disease ; I know of none more so. There is no disease of which we know really so little as of rheu- matism in its pathological essence and nature. An old physician of great celebrity was asked,' What is the cure for an acute attack of rheumatism ?' His laconic answer was, ' The cure for an attack of rheumatism is — six weeks;' that is, it is not cured. Let us, however, at all hazards, mind the heart in these cases. I am satisfied as to the ravages committed by this rheu- matic poison in the endocardium and pericardium, and that too often without any pain to attract attention. This pericarditis is of a marked kind, for it may occur stealthily, with 110 pain about the heart. There arc other curious associations between the brain and the heart, here to be noticed. " Epilepsy, for instance, affects the heart, as it sometimes shows itself in a violent fit of tumuli or palpitation of the heart, with unconsciousness — epilepsy of the heart. Emotional influences will produce palpitation of the heart; the emotional influences of fright will cause chorea; in- deed, this is the most common of all causes of this affection. A dog runs after a child; a ghost story is told by a foolish nurse ; a house takes fire; the child is exposed to danger, or perhaps is seized by a stranger, or is flogged by the school teacher, or some horrible agitation is set up in the emotional (or central) parts of the brain, and a choreic state is the result. The fact is, the complication or ' connection of chorea with rheumatism and heart disease,'' is so frequent, that I always look for it. " While speaking of the heart, let me remind you that in case there is found a lurking inflammatory state of the heart, as endo- carditis or pericarditis, whatever else be your treatment, let your patient lie for whole weeks upon his lounge or bed, for although we cannot give the heart perfect rest, it is all the more necessary to give it as much as we can. Keep the action of the heart quiet; give tinct. veratrum viride, and avoid stimulus, but give valerian tea and morphine at night, to insure rest, and such cases do then, under galvanism, finally recover, even where apparently most hopeless." Sucb are the views of Dr. Addison.