XLV.—Surgical Operations, Accidents, etc.
Amputation.—The Surgeon’s profession would be a very poor one if Hydropathy were generally understood.
If a finger, hand, or foot, be nearly severed from the body, they should be put into the best possible form, bandaged, and placed between two pieces of wood; over this a large bandage: the former may be wetted often without being removed.
A friend of mine in Italy had the misfortune, whilst botanising, to fall from one rock to another, where he hung by his foot. This caused a compound fracture, and the loss of his foot. I asked Mr. Priessnitz what ought to have been done,—he said his shepherd would have known better than to have cut off the foot; a stiff one being preferable to none at all. The foot should have been healed as above described, a large bandage applied from the toes up to the top of the thighs constantly wetted; this would have kept the limb cold. As fever or inflammation must proceed from the part afflicted, it is evident if the heat is extracted thence, neither can ensue. The splinters would have come away of themselves, and the patient might have been spared the loss of his foot, and several months of severe suffering and loss of health.
Crushed Finger.—A farmer at Gräfenberg had his finger smashed by a large stone rolling against it; so that it hung by the skin. It was put together, bandaged, and so fixed between two pieces of wood; over this a larger bandage was placed, the under part kept constantly wet. When pain ensued, the elbow was put into cold water for twenty minutes. The finger, though stiffer than the others, was preserved.
Fainting Fit.—Open the window to admit fresh air; unfasten the dress. Sprinkle water on the face and put the feet into a foot pan, with water only up to the instep, and let the attendant rub feet and legs up to the knees.
Effects of Falls.—A young man who came with nervous fever, one day, whilst labouring under violent palpitation, to which he was subject, fell, and so hurt the back of his head, as to be insensible for half an hour. Priessnitz, being sent for, ordered a foot-bath and rubbing with wet hands up to the knee. Opened his waistcoat, rubbed the chest, and threw cold water into his face. The friction and foot-bath continued for an hour, when patient was ordered a sitz-bath for thirty minutes. Bandages to waist and head.
Another party fell and injured his large toe against a stone. Ordered three cold foot-baths a day, fifteen minutes each time, and bandage to be kept continually wet.
Count C. fell down stairs, and afterwards felt pain in his side. Bandaged the part. Next day a tepid bath for one hour. As the Count was not young, this was not persevered in. Sitz-baths were substituted.
A. fell from his horse and injured his elbow and arm.
Arm and elbow placed in a tepid bath for an hour.
Repeated three times a day. Arm bandaged night and day.
Bruised Shin.—Three sitz-baths a day 60°; bandage the leg from ancle to above the knee, and keep it raised. Throw tepid water over foot and leg several times a day.
Foot-baths may be resorted to, if the patient is already under hydropathic treatment: otherwise not, as they draw bad matter downwards, and might prevent the wound from healing.
B. trod upon a nail which entered his foot. His foot was put for an hour twice or thrice a day into tepid water, and he wore a bandage on the part.
In all cases of the kind—either by cutting with sharp instruments or otherwise, put the wounded part into tepid water until it ceases bleeding, then bandage it, and afterwards use cold baths several times a day to the part.
Bandages must extend both ways beyond the wound, to carry off the inflammation from the part. Viz.—If the calf of the leg be wounded, the bandage ought to begin at the ancle, and be continued up to the knee. In all cases take one or two tepid sitz-baths a day. They prevent the head being affected.
Tape Worms.—Rubbing-sheets once or twice a day, bandage always round the waist, cold injections morning and evening, and drink plentifully of water.
For other worms recourse must be had to the general treatment.
Sea Sickness.—Wear a large thick bandage on chest and abdomen; and if it does not prevent, it will mitigate sea-sickness.
Apoplexy and Paralysis.—Instantly put patient into tepid-bath, water about two inches deep, throw cold water over head and shoulders, and use immense friction with wet hands for a very long time. For a wonderful case of cure of Apoplexy, refer to the [letter] written from Gräfenberg to the New York Tribune.
Lock Jaw.—The same as for Apoplexy.
A Belgian Doctor had a paralytic stroke two months previous to coming to Gräfenberg. In a fortnight he had another; when he could neither speak nor eat, and was too feeble to take the bath.
Sixteen rubbing-sheets a day, four at a time, restored him the use of his faculties in two days.
A crochet-needle was, by accident, driven into the side of a young lady; a surgeon lanced the part and extracted it, when Priessnitz simply ordered a bandage to the part, to be changed every quarter of an hour until inflammation subsided, and subsequently, as often as it became dry. After the first day no inconvenience was felt. A green matter exuded from the wound, which P. said was nothing more than usual in such circumstances.
Scalds.—Put the part affected into cold water, or apply a cold affusion for an hour two or three times a day. Wear a bandage continually wet; when the inflammation has subsided, put a dry bandage over the wet one.
Burns.—If a burn be bad, and the patient cannot endure the application of water, in that case use tow or lint; but if possible, wring a bandage well out, apply it to the burn, and put a dry one over it. Change the bandage often; but if this is too painful, let it remain, and wet it often. A cold bath applied as a derivative will afford great relief; i. e. if the leg is burnt take a foot-bath; if the hand, put the elbow in cold water, &c.
Rupture of the Tendon Achilles.—A friend of mine, running across the road, heard the crack of a whip; and supposed at first that some one had struck his leg with a whip, but he soon found he could not put his foot to the ground, that he had met with an accident called coup de fouet, or a rupture of the tendon Achilles in the calf of his leg. The only treatment for this, which effected an immediate cure, was binding it up in a surgeon’s bandage very tight, and keeping that wet night and day.
Accidents to the Head.—A man chopping wood struck a child a back blow on the forehead; the wound was wetted with tepid water for some time, and then a bandage was applied.
Two tepid sitz-baths were administered during the day.
Another child seven years old, fell against a stone and laid his forehead open.
Bandage applied, and wetted occasionally without being taken off; a dry one kept over it.
Another bandage at the back of the neck, renewed often.
Tepid sitz-bath fifteen minutes, three times a day. Feverish symptoms arose during the night; sitz-bath renewed.
Prince Ruspoli, Lord Anson, and another were galloping along a road at the dusk of the evening, not perceiving a drain, two of their horses fell into it. Two of the party were taken up insensible. On being brought into Freywalden, they were instantly put into tepid baths of 65°.
The prince having fallen on his temple was much stunned; four men rubbed him in the bath, in five minutes he became conscious and assisted in rubbing himself; in ten minutes he felt cold. After being in the bath twenty-five minutes he was taken out, well dried and put to bed, with bandages on his head and back of the neck, and but slight covering. After an hour’s repose, a tepid sitz-bath was administered for an hour. During the night patient suffered great pain in his head. Next day he was out of doors, but took three sitz-baths during the day; in the morning for an hour; the others, half an hour each time. Bandages always to the injured part. In a few days he was quite well.
The prince’s friend was threatened with congestion in the head, and had great pain in the stomach; the fæces were nearly black. He took many injections; three sitz-baths daily, an hour and a half each time, and one during the night. This treatment effected his cure.
Cuts and Wounds.—For a clean cut, it will often be sufficient to close the wound at once, and cover it with a dry bandage, so as to exclude the air.
A bruise, or jagged cut, should be bound up, and covered with a wet bandage; and this, when inflammation has subsided, must be covered with a dry one. Do not remove the under bandage, but pour water on it occasionally, and cover it again with the dry one. Let the bandage extend both ways beyond the wound, to conduct away the heat from it.
Calf of Leg torn off.—Dr. Scontetton, surgeon to the forces at Strasburg, states, “A soldier trying to descend at night from the walls of the barracks, fell, and tore the flesh off the calf of his leg. The doctor put the lacerated flesh together as well as he could, and bound the leg and thigh up in a bandage; a trough was then made in a slanting position in which he placed the leg. Over the man’s head he fixed a cask of water with a tube, from which the man was to keep the bandage constantly wet.[6] By this treatment alone a cure was effected in a fortnight, during which time the man suffered no pain, nor was even deprived of his appetite.”
Sprained Shoulder.—A patient fell down an ice-berg and severely bruised his shoulder, so that he could not raise his hand. The bruise was immediately saturated with cold water for an hour, and cold wet cloths applied for a long time. When inflammation had subsided, a heating bandage was applied and renewed when dry. Elbow bath twice a day, fifteen minutes each.
This treatment was repeated two or three times a day.
Accident to the Eye.—A child five years old, ran a knife into the ball of the eye. Cold wet bandages perfected a cure. The blue of the eye ran, but the boy, now fifteen years of age, sees perfectly well.
Swelling of a Vein—Varicose Veins.—A young lady was afflicted with swelled vein just over the large toes of both feet; the swelling in one foot shortly disappeared, the other became more developed, the foot and ancle inflamed.
I wrote to Priessnitz, who advised “a cold foot-bath, three times a day, for twenty minutes; water up to the ancle and not to be changed. After the bath, rub the foot (omitting the affected part) and leg, particularly in front, up to the knee, until heat is restored; then apply a bandage (well wrung out) to the foot and leg up to the knee, always changing before dry. If an eruption or swelling take place on the foot, take a sitz-bath half an hour, twice a day, and the sweating process, followed by cold bath every other day. Do not perspire more than an hour. The foot should be kept a little elevated.”
Patient not getting better, and the medical men declaring the case, in their opinion, incurable, she went to Gräfenberg. The following is the treatment pursued there:—Packing-sheets for fifteen minutes; changed for another of twenty minutes; and cold plunge-bath morning and evening; between which douched twice a day, and a sitz-bath taken; always wearing foot and leg and waist bandage.
Priessnitz, on seeing the case, declared the complaint was not a local one, that “it was a general derangement of the nervous system”, and so it turned out, as veins in the arms, thighs, and elsewhere enlarged and diminished under the treatment. Both feet and legs now became swollen and inflamed up to the knee, so that patient was obliged to move on crutches. Treatment increased. Length of cold bath and douche extended to five minutes each. To prevent the pain that must have attended the limbs, in so inflamed a state, coming in contact with water, the bandages remained on those parts whilst taking those baths. This crisis continued for two months, when it began to recede, then came again in a more moderate form; receded and again made its appearance a third and last time. Catamenia became regular, appetite good, and patient could walk without assistance. The cure was effected in ten months. It is now upwards of two years since the party left Gräfenberg, and she is perfectly well.
By this it will be seen, that that which is produced by the treatment, must be made to recede under the treatment. Had Priessnitz relinquished any part of it at the most trying moment, the cure would not have been effected.
Speaking to him of varicose or enlarged veins, he said “they are generally curable. I had a patient with an enlarged vein in his foot, when on the ground the vein became full, measuring nearly two inches; this was cured in eighteen months.”
Sprains.—In all cases of sprains, rub the part, with hands dipped in water, for a long time; the oftener the better, and put on a wet bandage, which when heat has subsided, change for a heating bandage.
If the sprain is a bad one, apply a cold bath or cold affusion to the part for half an hour, then the wet, and afterwards the heating bandage, which change often.
The bath should be repeated thrice a day, and friction used the whole time.
If general treatment is necessary, then packing-sheets. Tepid bath and tepid sitting baths must be resorted to.
Sprained Ankle.—Put the foot immediately into cold water, and rub foot, ankle, and leg up to the knee for an hour, particularly the wounded part. The water of the bath, after the first time, only up to the instep, but repeated three or four times a day. Bandage the foot, ankle, and leg up to the knee; first, with quite wet bandages, and when inflammation has somewhat subsided, then with heating bandage. The foot should not be allowed to remain quiet. If not able to move about, the patient should put a rolling pin under his foot and keep that in movement. By these means a sprained ankle is cured in a few days, that without it might continue for a month or longer.
Wound in the Abdomen.—A lad leaning upon a piece of wood, hurt his abdomen; it was rubbed with cold water for half an hour, followed by sitz-bath half an hour twice a day.
Bleeding at the Nose.—Sprinkle the face with water, bandage the back of the neck and the loins; shallow foot bath, where obstinate. Bandage the genitals and change the bandage often.
Dr. Gibbs states, that whilst at Gräfenberg, he was greatly troubled with bleeding at the nose. He tried bandages at the back of the neck and foot-bath to no purpose. Priessnitz then ordered him two packing-sheets in succession, the first fifteen minutes, the other twenty-five minutes, followed by cold bath. This treatment had the desired effect.
I knew a case where a man bled profusely at the nose. He put his feet up to the calves of his legs in cold water, and the bleeding stopped in ten minutes.
A child had a blow on the nose, which occasioned it to bleed frequently.
Bandage worn on the forehead for a week or two, and foot baths, completed a cure.
Spitting Blood, Sickness, etc.—This is sometimes occasioned by piles. Sitz-baths (tepid 62°) may be taken; bandages worn on the waist always, and on the chest at night. All irritation should be avoided, and repose of body and mind observed. Water ought to be drunk abundantly. Bleeding of the lungs, the effect of pulmonary consumption, is not curable. To distinguish the difference between cases requires the experience of such a genius as Priessnitz.