than blistering with cantharides ; and it
may be resorted to in a greater number of
cases, of moderate violence. Croton oil and
tartar emetic ointment are only employed in
obsti?iate chronic cases of irritation of inter-
n al organs . They produce very sore , pimply ,
or pustular eruptions.*
* If either of these should be used, great care
must be taken not to get the oil or ointment into
any one's eyes. A patient of mine nearly blinded
himself by neglecting this precaution ; putting his
fingers to his eyes just after rubbing croton oil
upon a part of the skin.
494
Fever.
Reminding the reader of what was said,
a few pages back, of the nature and signs of
fever, it may be said now, that what we
want to do when those signs {heat, excite-
ment oi the ciT-culation , locking up of seci'-e-
tions, and weakness) 2C£^ present, is, first, and
chiefly, to ascertain and remove, if possible,
the cause of the attack. We should also
try to lessen the heat, promote the return of
the secretions, and support the system
through its period of weakness.
To diminish heat, cold water is the great
remedy. Almost incredible it seems, that
physicians were once afraid to give cold
drinks to patients suffering with raging
fever. A man with small-pox, two hun-
dred years ago, was shut up in a close
room, with red curtains hanging about his
bed, blankets piled on him to promote pers-
piration, and, for the same end, only hot and
bitter drinks, herb teas, were allowed him !
All the world knows better now, and follows
nature's pointing better than that. Thirst
is an almost universal symptom of fever ;
and frequent draughts of cold water are its
best remedy. Ice-water is not the best, at
least if the draughts craved and taken are
large ; it may be, to the most advantage, of
about the temperature of deep well- water;
about 50° to 52° Fahr. ; although nearer
the freezing-point will answer well. If the
stomach is very irritable, as is often the case
in autumnal remittent and in yellow fever,
small lumps of ice melted in the mouth and
then swallowed, at short intervals, will do
better than drinking much water at a time.
Cold water outside is a remedy naturally
thought of; and it may be used, but care-
fully. Siidden chilling is not safe. Some
physicians, especially in Germany, now
treat cases of typhoid fever by immersing
the patient for ten minutes at a time in a
really cold bath. This seems to me not a
plan to be approved. But the sponging of
the face, arms, hands, and, part after part,
the whole body, with cold or cool water,
two or three times a day, is an admirable
means of relief in fevers generally. Its ser-
vice is perhaps most marked in scarlet fever,
when the surface of the body is often in-
tensely hot ; the whole skin seems to be
THE FAMILY DOCTOR
31
inflamed. Bear in mind the great principle :
we want to temper, to moderate the exces-
sive heat ; not to chill the body below its
normal degree.
Certain additions to water as a drink will
contribute to its refrigerant action. Acids
have this tendency. Lemonade and the
juice of oranges are generally suitable.
Citi'ate of potassi2C7n and acetate of amvw-
nium are the medicines most sure to be safe
and beneficial for the same purpose ; the
former when the bowels are natural or con-
stipated, the latter when there is a dispo-
sition towards diarrhoea.
Page 157
Presented as published in 1901. Historical recipes may not meet modern food-safety standards. Cook from the modern interpretation, not the original instructions.
AI-modernized reading of the original text
than blistering with cantharides ; and it
may be resorted to in a greater number of
cases, of moderate violence. Croton oil and
tartar emetic ointment are only employed in
obstinate chronic cases of irritation of internal organs . They produce very sore , pimply ,
or pustular eruptions.*
* If either of these should be used, great care must be taken not to get the oil or ointment into any one's eyes. A patient of mine nearly blinded himself by neglecting this precaution ; putting his fingers to his eyes just after rubbing croton oil upon a part of the skin.
Fever.
Reminding the reader of what was said, a few pages back, of the nature and signs of fever, it may be said now, that what we want to do when those signs (heat, excitement of the circulation, locking up of secretions, and weakness) are present, is, first, and chiefly, to ascertain and remove, if possible, the cause of the attack. We should also try to lessen the heat, promote the return of the secretions, and support the system through its period of weakness.
To diminish heat, cold water is the great remedy. Almost incredible it seems, that physicians were once afraid to give cold drinks to patients suffering with raging fever. A man with small-pox, two hundred years ago, was shut up in a close room, with red curtains hanging about his bed, blankets piled on him to promote perspiration, and, for the same end, only hot and bitter drinks, herb teas, were allowed him ! All the world knows better now, and follows nature's pointing better than that. Thirst is an almost universal symptom of fever ; and frequent draughts of cold water are its best remedy. Ice-water is not the best, at least if the draughts craved and taken are large ; it may be, to the most advantage, of about the temperature of deep well- water; about 50° to 52° Fahr. ; although nearer the freezing-point will answer well. If the stomach is very irritable, as is often the case in autumnal remittent and in yellow fever, small lumps of ice melted in the mouth and then swallowed, at short intervals, will do better than drinking much water at a time.
Cold water outside is a remedy naturally thought of; and it may be used, but carefully. Siidden chilling is not safe. Some physicians, especially in Germany, now treat cases of typhoid fever by immersing the patient for ten minutes at a time in a really cold bath. This seems to me not a plan to be approved. But the sponging of the face, arms, hands, and, part after part, the whole body, with cold or cool water, two or three times a day, is an admirable means of relief in fevers generally. Its service is perhaps most marked in scarlet fever, when the surface of the body is often intensely hot ; the whole skin seems to be
inflamed. Bear in mind the great principle : we want to temper, to moderate the excessive heat ; not to chill the body below its normal degree.
Certain additions to water as a drink will contribute to its refrigerant action. Acids have this tendency. Lemonade and the juice of oranges are generally suitable. Citi'ate of potassi2C7n and acetate of amvwnium are the medicines most sure to be safe and beneficial for the same purpose ; the former when the bowels are natural or constipated, the latter when there is a disposition towards diarrhoea.