227 - Testing of the efficacy of hypodermoclysis as a treatment of Asiatic cholera during the 1886 epidemic in Venice
Autor(s): G. Dall'Olio
Issue: RIMeL - IJLaM, Vol. 5, N. 3, 2009 (MAF Servizi srl ed.)
Page(s): 227-33
Summary
During the 1886 Asiatic cholera epidemic in Venice, the efficacy of hypodermoclysis, a treatment proposed by the Italian physician Arnaldo Cantani since 1865 was tested. The method involved subcutaneous injection of a large amount of a solution of salt and water to compensate the serious and rapid dehydratation of cholera patients and to reduce the increased acidity of their blood. The Venice physicians, as the cholera epidemic broke out, rapidly deepened their knowledge of the remedy and then applied it to patients. When the epidemic ended up, after about one month, the cases reports of patients treated with hypodermoclysis showed positive results since the patients were at the algid stage.
Key-words: Asiatic cholera, Arnaldo Cantani, hypodermoclysis, subcutaneous injections.