Saline Venous Injection in Cases of Malignant Cholera, Performed While in the Vapour-Bath.

Dr Thomas Aitchison Latta (cl796-1833): pioneer of intravenous fluid replacement in the treatment of cholera

“…Over the years Latta's letters in the Edinburgh Philosophical Journal suggest alternative explanations and theories to Scoresby's on the geographical features of ice and icebergs. 1 Although never a member of the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh, Thomas Latta did obtain Licentiateship of the College (LRCS Ed) in 1818. Until the mid-18th century the College only awarded the full Mastership (Fellowship) but, due to the expense, the Diploma became an alternate award from 1770 which later was renamed the Licentiate in 1815.…”

“…2 Unfortunately his first two children died in early childhood and records of the third, Walter, are not available after 1841. 1 The cholera epidemic Asiatic cholera was first described in 1563 in Portuguese India and then in reports from the East India Trading Company during its contribution to the Gnananandan Janakan MRCS is Anatomy Demonstrator, Kings' College London (Guys' Campus) Correspondence: 39 Bush Hill, London N21 2BT, UK (email: Janakan7@gmail.com). Harold Ellis CBE FRCS is Emeritus Professor of Surgery, University of London and Clinical Anatomist, Kings' College London (Guys' Campus) government of India.…”

Mashed Potatoes and Maize

“…I N 1831 during the European cholera epidemic, Latta 1 was the first to report on a patient who was successfully resuscitated with intravenous fluids. He injected 60 ounces of warm saline intravenously to a pulseless cholera patient.…”

“…In a nonseptic porcine model of acute lung injury, Silva et al 1 found that goal-directed volume expansion with HES (derived from potato) was more effective at restoring circulating blood volume compared with crystalloid (the ratio of HES to crystalloid was 1: 2.7). They also found that HES preserved lung function better than crystalloid, and surprisingly, that HES was less damaging to the kidneys than gelatin, the other colloid tested.…”

Vaba, Haiza, Kholera, Foklune or Cholera: in any language still the disease of seven pandemics

“…Comatose patients could be revived by throwing pepper in the eyes or by holding red‐hot irons to the soles of the feet – enough to waken anyone. In 1832, the Scot Dr Thomas Latta published the method of fluid replacement by intravenous injection of a saline solution (Latta 1831–2, 1832–3a, b). Even the War Office ‘Memoranda on Medical Diseases’ prepared under War conditions recommended fairly primitive treatments for cholera: ‘ treat the promonitory diarrhoea by giving half an ounce of castor oil with a teaspoonful of brandy … as it clears the bowel of irritating material ’ and ‘ keep the patient warm and apply turpentine stupes to the abdomen ’ (HMSO 1941).…”