Administering Physic
Administering Physic.—Never allow a bottle of lotion for external use to stand beside a bottle of medicine to be taken internally. Keep them entirely separate, and keep all medicines in a place where children cannot by any possibility reach them. One further piece of advice, which is unfortunately but seldom attended to, is deserving of attention, namely, after an illness has terminated either in recovery or death, empty out all the medicine bottles, and on no account retain any of them for future use. Spoons differ very much in size, and it is not wise to trust to them in measuring medicines. It is best to get a medicine glass or spoon, either of which can be got at a chemist’s for a few pence. In giving sick people medicine there are 3 points which ought carefully to be remembered—namely, regularity, punctuality, and exactitude. Those intrusted with the administration of medicine to sick persons should always read the label of the bottle before administering the medicine. By doing so they will probably save themselves a lifelong reproach. An inhaler for taking medicated vapours in bronchial and catarrhal affections may be extemporised out of a pickle bottle fitted with a perforated cork and a bit of tube. A special apparatus (Dr. Felton’s) is sold at 7s. 6d. by Savory and Moore.
To mask the taste of cod-liver oil:—(a) Use Allan and Hanbury’s “perfected” oil. (b) Put a little salt in the mouth before taking the oil. (c) Add 30 drops sulphuric ether to the dose and take it quite cold. (d) Add a little iodoform and essence of anise; say 96 grm. oil, 20 c. grm. iodoform, 4 drops essence.
Quinine may be enclosed in gelatine capsules when otherwise refused. If in powder it is best mixed with a little milk.
Keep a separate measure and separate glass for administering such drugs as castor-oil, cod-liver oil, asafœtida, valerian, &c.
Pills should be placed well towards the gullet and washed down with a drink. Or they may be hidden in jam, or wrapped in rice paper, and then washed down. Powders may be mixed in jam, treacle, honey, milk, or water.
To remove the taste of nauseous medicines from the mouth chew a small piece of bread and spit it out.
The best times for administering medicines, according to the frequency with which they are ordered, are as follows:—
“Daily.”—At 9 A.M. or at bedtime.
“Night and morning.”—9 A.M. and bedtime.
“Twice-a-day.”—10 A.M. and 6 P.M.
“Three times a day.”—10 A.M., 2 P.M., 6 P.M.
“Every 4 hours.”—10 A.M., 2 P.M., 6 P.M., 10 P.M., 2 A.M., 6 A.M.
Never wake a patient to administer medicine or food unless ordered to do so.
To apportion doses according to age, reckon 21 years and upwards as adults requiring full dose; then 17 will take ¾, 14 will take ½, 7 will take ⅓, 4 will take ¼, 3 will take ⅙, and 2 years or under will take ⅛ of the full dose.
Medicines are classified according to their general properties, the following being the chief:—
Anæsthetics—produce insensibility to pain.
Anodynes—procure relief from pain.
Antiseptics—prevent putrefaction.
Antispasmodics—check spasms and cramps.
Caustics—destroy animal tissues by a kind of burning.
Collyrium—an eyewash.
Diaphoretics—induce perspiration.
Diuretics—increase the flow of urine.
Emetics—cause sickness (vomiting).
Expectorants—favour spitting.
Liniments—for rubbing in.
Narcotics—induce sleep.
Purgatives—cause very loose bowels.
Refrigerants—cooling.
Sedatives—calm the nerves.
Soporifics—induce sleep.
Styptics—arrest bleeding.
Tonics—increase the appetite and give a stimulus to the system.
The principal domestic remedies, with their doses (m. means minims, gr. grains, table. tablespoonful, tea. teaspoonful, dr. drams, oz. ounces, dess. dessertspoonful) and properties, are as follows:—
Aloes (compound decoction): 1-3 tablespoonfuls; pleasant purgative, useful in habitual constipation, and will often relieve headache.
Alum: 10-20 gr. in whooping cough and internal bleeding; 1 tea. (in treacle) as an emetic; 15 gr. in 10 oz. water as a collyrium; 60 gr. in 10 oz. water for gargles and injections; astringent (coddling the mouth) and styptic.
Ammonio-citrate of iron: 5-10 gr. in water; tonic.
Antimonial wine: 5-15 m. 3 times a day in bronchitis and fever, diaphoretic; 1 table. (for adults), emetic.
Aromatic chalk: 20 gr. in water checks diarrhœa.
Belladonna liniment (compound): externally applied on rag covered with waterproof for 12 hours as local remedy for rheumatism and lumbago; anodyne.
Bicarbonate of potash: 15-20 gr.; antacid; taken with lemon juice or citric acid as a cooling drink.
Bicarbonate of soda: 10-20 gr.; antacid; checks heartburn and stops diarrhœa.
Blue pill: 3-5 gr.; alterative; cures bilious attacks.
Borax: 1 in 24 parts water as a gargle for sore throat.
Calomel: 1-3 gr.; powerful purgative and alterative; taken for biliousness.
Camphor liniment (compound): stimulant liniment.
Carbonate magnesia: 5-30 gr. in milk; antacid, gentle aperient; useful for children.
Castor oil: ½ tea. (infants), 2 table. (adults), on milk, wine, or orange juice, or blended with glycerine or egg-yolk; most reliable aperient.
Chlorate potash: 10-20 gr., stimulant; 1 dr. with 4 dr. honey and 8 oz. water, gargle for sore throat; lozenges, overcomes effect of high altitudes on the respiratory system.
Chloric ether: 20-30 m. in water, cordial and antispasmodic; relieves cramp, violent cough, spasms, &c.
Chloroform: not to be inhaled or taken except in a doctor’s presence; sedative; applied to rheumatism, stings, and toothache as an anodyne.
Citrate of iron and quinine: 3-5 gr. in water; tonic and binding.
Citrate of magnesia (granular effervescent): 1 dess. in tumbler cold water; cooling aperient.
Cream of tartar: 20-60 gr., diuretic and cooling; ½ oz. in 1 qt. of water, fever drink.
Dover’s power: unfit for children; 5 gr. in wineglassful water, diaphoretic, checks diarrhœa and cures fresh colds; 3 gr. after meals prevents chest-ache.
Epsom salts: 1-4 dr. in water; purgative.
Essence of camphor: 30 m. in wineglassful water; exhilarating.
Essence of ginger: ½ tea. in wineglassful water; cordial stimulant, useful in chest-ache.
Essence of peppermint: 10-15 m. on sugar; exhilarating, warming and antispasmodic.
Extract of bark: 10-30 m. in wineglassful water; valuable tonic in neuralgia and fever.
Friar’s balsam: ½-1 dr. with sugar and egg-yolk, stimulating expectorant; applied on cuts.
Glycerine: may replace sugar for sweetening drinks and medicines; much used for softening the skin.
Goulard’s extract: 5 m. in wineglassful water as an eyewash; 1 in 40 of water, astringent, applied to bruises and sprains as a wash.
Gregory’s powder: 1 tea. in wineglassful water, cooling mild aperient.
Grey powder: 3-5 gr. (adult); aperient, acting on the liver.
Ipecacuanha powder: 15 gr. emetic.
Ditto wine: 10-20 m., expectorant for coughs; 1 table. (adults), repeated at 10 minutes intervals, emetic.
Jalapine: 2-6 gr., aperient for children.
Laudanum: 10-20 m., anodyne and soporific; with equal quantity opodeldoc, applied as an anodyne.
Lime-water: antacid; checks infantile diarrhœa; mixed with sweet oil affords great relief when applied to burns.
Liquorice powder (compound): 1 tea., mild aperient, best for piles.
Milk of sulphur: 1 tea. rubbed up with milk, gentle aperient and cooling, useful in rheumatism and piles.
Morphia bimeconate: 5 m. increasing every 3 hours; most valuable sedative and soporific; applied as an anodyne after the part has been reddened by compound camphor liniment.
Muriate (chloride) of ammonia: 10 gr. in wineglassful water, good expectorant in bronchitis; 1 oz. with 1 oz. alcohol and 10 oz. water; stimulant lotion for sprains.
Nitrate of silver: 2-4 gr. in 1 oz. water, lotion for sore nipples; 20 gr. in 1 oz. water, throat wash in diphtheria.
Nitre (saltpetre): 5 gr. in saline draught, cooling and diuretic for fever; ¼ oz. in ½ pint barley water, gargle for inflamed sore throat.
Nitric acid (dilute): 10 m. with 5 m. tincture of chiretta, 15 m. tincture of orange and 10 m. syrup in 1 wineglassful water, excellent between meal-times for convalescents.
Opodeldoc (soap liniment): excellent applied to bruises, stops swelling and discoloration.
Paregoric: 30-60 m., checks coughing.
Prepared chalk: 15-30 gr. repeated, with cinnamon and tincture of catechu, antacid and astringent for diarrhœa and cholera; made into a cream with water, cooling shield for burns.
Rhubarb: 1-5 gr., tonic to bowels; 10-20 gr., aperient followed by astringent.
Sal volatile: 30-60 m. in wineglassful camphor julep; antacid, antispasmodic, and exhilarating.
Santonine: 2-3 gr. on 3 alternate nights, followed by castor oil in the morning, expels threadworms from children.
Spirit of minderus: 15-20 m. in gruel at bedtime, excellent diaphoretic and cure for coryza (cold in the head); 20 m. in wineglassful water, eyewash; 1 table. in tumbler water, cooling lotion.
Spirit of nitre: 20-30 drops in wineglassful water, or 1 tea. in hot gruel at bedtime, diuretic and diaphoretic, for colds.
Sulphate of copper: 10-15 gr. in wineglassful water, rapid emetic in poisoning.
Sulphate of potash: 10-20 gr. with 10 gr. rhubarb and 15 gr. sugar in peppermint-water, mild aperient.
Sulphate of quinine: 1-5 gr. 2 or 3 times a day, tonic, useful in neuralgia, dyspepsia, weakness and fever.
Sulphate of zinc: 20 gr. in wineglassful water, emetic; 1 gr. in 1 oz. water, eyewash, astringent.
Sulphuric ether: ½-1 tea. in camphor julep, exhilarant.
Syrup of senna: 1 tea. (adults), mild aperient.
Tincture of arnica: with 4 times its bulk in hot water for fomenting bruises.
Tincture of chiretta: 10-30 m., tonic, useful in dyspepsia.
Tincture of colchicum: 10-20 m. at night after a light meal, diaphoretic, valuable in gout, rheumatism, and dropsy.
Tincture of henbane: 15-60 m., narcotic and anodyne.
Tincture of lavender (compound): 1 tea. with ½ tea. sal volatile in water, stimulant, antispasmodic, and exhilarant.
Tincture of quinine: 1-2 tea. in wineglassful water 2 or 3 times a day, tonic.
Tincture of rhubarb: 2-4 tea., cordial and purgative.
Tincture of squills: 1 tea. with wineglassful water, expectorant; take 1 dess. at short intervals to check coughing.
Tincture of steel: 5-15 m. in wineglassful water, tonic, astringent, and diuretic, good in weakness and dyspepsia.
Tincture of valerian: 1 tea. in camphor water, antispasmodic and stimulant, valuable in nervous headache.
Common Complaints.—Without making the least pretence to give such information as will enable the sick man to dispense with the services of the physician or surgeon, whose aid should be promptly sought, there are many matters which by careful study may enable the threatened attack to be warded off, and there are a variety of ailments and troubles which are not generally deemed of sufficient importance to be worth troubling a doctor about. It is these subjects which claim treatment here, and with which the following paragraphs will deal, leaving all special and serious diseases in hands which have been trained to the work.