Part 3 (1/2)

Croup.

This is a disease of children. Comes on in consequence of a sudden cold.

Children suffering from Hooping Cough are more subject to it. The cough is of a peculiar whistling kind, like the crowing of a young chicken, with rattling in the throat and difficult breathing, fever is present, and often very violent. It is properly an inflammation of the Larynx, but the inflammation may also exist in the Pharynx, the tonsils may be involved, and it may extend to the trachia, (wind pipe). A false membrane forms in the larynx if the disease is not arrested, and so obstructs the breathing as to cause death from suffocation.

TREATMENT.

Give at first _Aconite_, _Phosphoric Acid_, and _Spongia_, giving them in the order here named once in ten minutes in a very violent case, and as the patient improves at intervals of half an hour, and then an hour.

Should the fever subside, and still the tightness in the throat and cough continue to be troublesome, give _Ipecac_ in place of Aconite. And when the cough seems to be deep seated use _Bryonia_ instead of spongia.

The patient should be kept in a warm room, and free from exposure to currents of cold air. The application of a cloth wrung out of cold or ice water to the throat, covered immediately with dry warm flannels so as to exclude the air from the wet cloth, will often exert a decidedly beneficial effect, and there is no danger if managed as here directed.

The feet should be kept warm and the head cool, but _don't_ put _cold_ water on a child's head.

Asthma.

If an attack comes on from sudden cold, take _Aconite_ and _Ipecac_ every hour for a day, and if any symptoms remain, in place of the Aconite use _Copaiva_, _a.r.s.enic.u.m_ and _Phos. Acid_ with the _Ipecac_, giving them in rotation, a dose every hour.

In _Chronic Asthma_, where the patient is liable to an attack at any time, great benefit will be derived from taking these four in rotation about two hours apart for a day or two, at any time when symptoms of an attack begin to appear.

I have recently succeeded in alleviating several bad cases, at once, by these four remedies in succession as here recommended, on whom (some of them) I had at various times tried all of them, as well as other medicines, singly at longer intervals, as directed in the Books, without any decided benefit. After trying these in succession, as here directed, I found no trouble in arresting the paroxysm in a few hours, and I am strong in the faith that with some, at least, I have effected _cures_.

It is worth much to _arrest_ the _paroxysm_ if no more.

Hooping Cough.

According to my experience, though this disease may not be entirely arrested in its course, and not generally much abridged in its duration, still the use of appropriate medicines will greatly modify it, and render it a comparatively trifling affection.

In treatment, give at the commencement of the attack _Bell._ and _Phos.

acid_ alternately every twelve hours for a week, then once in six hours, and if the child should take cold so as to bring on fever, give one every hour. Continue these, as above directed, for the first two or three weeks, then, in their stead, after the cough becomes loose, and the patient vomits easily, give _Copaiva and Ipecac_ in the same manner as directed, for the two former remedies.

Dyspepsia.

This term is applied so loosely and so indiscriminately to all chronic derangements of the stomach, that it is difficult to define it. I shall therefore point out some of the more common ailments of the stomach and their proper remedies.

For sour eructations with hot, burning, scalding fluid rising up in the throat, with or without food, give _Phos. acid and Pulsatilla_ in alternation every half hour, until the stomach is easy. For a feeling of weight and pain in the stomach, with dull pain in the head, with or without dizziness, give _Nux. Vom._ every hour until it relieves. If there is a _burning_ feeling in the stomach as well as the heavy load, _without_ eructations and rising of fluid, _a.r.s.enic.u.m_ should be alternated with the _Nux. Vom._, at intervals of two hours. There are persons who, from imprudence in eating or drinking or both, or which is more frequent, from _harsh drug medication_, have so enfeebled their stomachs, that, though by care in selecting their food, and prudence in taking it, they may suffer but little, are, nevertheless, when from home or on special occasions, liable to overeat or take the wrong kind of food, from which unfortunate circ.u.mstance they are made to suffer the most tormenting and intolerable distress in the stomach and bowels, which may last, more or less severe, for several days. Soon after the unfortunate meal, perhaps the next morning, or, it may be, in a few hours, the stomach begins to bloat, by acc.u.mulating gas within, which is belched up every few minutes in large quant.i.ties; the stomach and bowels are racked with the most torturing pains; cold sweat stands on the brow, and he is the very picture of misery. Thus he may roll and tumble all night, and remain in misery the next day and several days longer, before the food will digest. It often pa.s.ses from the stomach without digestion, and on its way through the bowels inflicts constant pain. If he does not take some emetic substance, he is not apt to vomit, his stomach cramping so as to prevent it.

I have here described one of the bad cases, but bad as it is they are by no means _very_ rare. There are such cases in abundance, of all grades from the one here described down to a slight derangement. They all require a similar course of _treatment_.

It is useful for such patients to take at once large quant.i.ties of lukewarm water, and repeat the draught every ten to fifteen minutes, until free and thorough vomiting is induced, so as to throw off all the food from the stomach.

But even this does not often cure these bad cases. If it did, it is not always convenient to do it. The medicine that is quite certain to afford relief at once is _Podophyllin_. Let it be given, and the dose repeated in an hour. A third dose is rarely necessary. After relief from this attack, the medicine should be taken night and morning for a month or more until the stomach is restored. In the meantime care should be taken not to overload the stomach.

Constipation.

The medicine for this affection is _Nux vom._, to be taken at night on retiring. If there is fulness and pain in the head from costiveness, _Bell._ should be used in the morning, and at noon. Let the patient contract a habit of drinking _cold water_ freely on rising in the morning, at least half an hour before eating. The patient _should not take physic_.