MEDICAL.
A. B. C.—Writer’s cramp is a name given to a peculiar form of nervous disease of the right arm and hand met with, almost exclusively, in writers. The disease belongs to that class of afflictions called “habit spasms,” other examples of which are histrionic spasm, commonly called “stage strike,” “musical stammering,” and some forms of true stammering. Of the cause of writer’s cramp we know this much, that it occurs mainly in writers; that it is far more common in men than in women; that it sometimes occurs in persons who are run down in health; that it is more common among the members of neurotic families, and that it is most frequent in those writers who use their wrists and little fingers as the “fulcrum” when writing. It is very uncommon among type-writers. There are many types of the complaint. In some forms weakness or paralysis of the muscles of the right hand is the most marked feature; in other cases twitchings, cramps, or numbness are the leading symptoms. The treatment for the affection is perfectly simple, but, like most simple treatments, it is very rarely that it is carried out. It is absolute rest from writing. The disease is cured by absolute rest. Where this treatment is impossible, rest till all symptoms have subsided, and then gradually taking to writing again, is the next best thing. But the complaint is exceedingly likely to recur. Learning to write with the left hand, nothing like such a difficult proceeding as you would think, has frequently been tried for the trouble; sometimes with great success, but not infrequently the disease attacks the left hand also. Massage, galvanism, and other such measures are sometimes used, but their effects are doubtful, and they appear to have but little action. The same may be said of strychnine and other nervine tonics. Of drugs the most useful are malt, cod-liver oil, and suchlike foods. Writer’s cramp is a serious disease to writers, and, moreover, it is one which they can never escape from if they must still continue in their employment. It is far better to throw over their writing at once, than wait till they are obliged to do so by the disease crippling them.
Poor Humpback.—The deformity resulting from tubercular disease of the spine cannot be remedied. Indeed, the deformity is the remedy for the effects of the mischief. For in this condition the tubercle germs have destroyed some of the bones of the back, and the only way by which the strength of the backbone is maintained is by the falling together of the bones above and below the seat of the trouble, and this, of necessity, produces shortness and deformity.
Pink May.—You should not wash your hair too often; if it is healthy, once a month is quite sufficiently frequent.
Muriel.—It is indeed a difficult matter to clear a complexion “disfigured by innumerable freckles,” but still we can do a little to render the marks less noticeable. Freckles are small patches of pigment. We know there are fair and dark complexions, and a freckled complexion is one which is both fair and dark in patches. One of the greatest causes of excess of pigment in the skin is light, and we all know how likely we are to get freckled or browned after being in a strong sun. It is not the heat, but the light of the sun which forms the pigment in the skin, and the bluer the light the more rapidly it will form pigment. Light reflected from water is especially potent in the formation of both browning and freckles. If you want to escape freckles you must therefore keep out of the light, and you can do this by wearing a red veil or using a red parasol. It is said that freckles can be bleached with peroxide of hydrogen, but we have not seen much benefit from its use. Glycerine and lime-water is also said to remove freckles.
A Motherless Lass.—Although all drugs are injurious when taken regularly, if the reason why they are taken is persistent, it is necessary to take them regularly. It is taking drugs without reason which is so dangerous, or taking them to combat a complaint which is cured. Aloes is the best habitual laxative we possess, and in most cases it is the safest to employ, but in your case we do not advise you to continue it, but to take a teaspoonful of liquorice powder instead. For your anæmia we advise bone-marrow tabloids or the peptonate of iron. The tabloids are often exceedingly useful, but they must be taken with care. Begin by taking one tabloid crushed up in milk twice a day, after food. After a week take two tabloids twice a day. Do not exceed this amount. If headache, dizziness, or trembling occurs, drop the tabloids for a week, then take to them again gradually. Most of your troubles are due to anæmia, but this again is connected with what you tell us in the latter part of your letter. Unfortunately we cannot enter at length into the subject. We can only encourage you to persevere and never to give up the struggle, however often you may fail. You cannot expect to have good health unless you improve your way of living. As regards the medical part of the question, you should take plenty of healthy exercise and seek the companionship of others. Above all, be careful of what you read. Frivolous literature is a terrible evil which must be shunned without ceasing. And above all, do not despair; we are all weak and fail sometimes, but if we do our best and strive to do better, we may in time overcome our failings.
Primrose.—There are certain soaps which “won’t wash clothes,” and there are others which will not wash faces—or rather, will not wash them without injury. Girls should always be careful not to use coarse or strong soaps for toilet use. A soap made to scrub floors or soiled clothes is not suitable to wash a face. For floors, etc., you want a strong, coarse soap. But the human face is a delicate article, and should be cleaned with soap made with great care, with no coarse or biting principles to spoil the complexion. All soaps sold for the toilet, except patent ones, are made of refined materials carefully selected and blended; and it is these soaps, and these only, which should be used for toilet purposes. Patent soaps should never be used, not because they are impure, but because their preparation is secret, and nobody knows from what they are made.
A Hothouse Rose.—Read the answer to “Poor Humpback.” Tuberculosis of the spine is distinctly a curable disease, though usually some deformity, more or less slight, is left after the disease has ceased. The treatment is chiefly a question of absolute rest.
Anxious One.—We cannot tell you what causes the pain in your left side without any information about it. It is probably indigestion.
Another Anxious One.—You are very wrong to go about untreated.
Myall.—Coal gas is an intensely poisonous vapour. Unlike the “choke-damp” of miners, which is carbonic acid gas, coal gas is not only irrespirable, but is actually poisonous. A very small quantity of gas in the air of a room may produce alarming results in anybody sleeping in the room. We are all familiar, at all events through the newspaper, with the immense danger of gas escaping into a bedroom. “How the body of —— was found in bed, and an escape of gas noticed,” etc. But few people are aware of the danger of a little gas escaping from a defective bracket or burner. Yet many cases of chronic failing health can be traced to this cause—gas escaping into the bedroom, often in such small quantities as to be undetected till searched for. Coal gas acts directly on the blood and destroys its function. When a person is found unconscious in a room in which gas is escaping, she should be immediately taken out into the open air and artificial respiration employed at once. But only too frequently no effort is of any avail. Charcoal burned with a limited supply of air gives out the same gas as the poisonous factor in coal gas, namely, carbon monoxide. This gas has no smell, and therefore it is not the poisonous constituent of coal gas which gives it the characteristic odour. Amongst the symptoms which may be met with in persons who sleep in a room into which a minute quantity of coal gas escapes, are headache, lassitude, especially in the morning, worrying dreams and anæmia.
Old Mother Hubbard.—1. Sallowness of the complexion is one of the commonest symptoms met with in ill-health. Practically any form of illness may cause it. It is almost invariably present in chronic constipation.—2. Yes. One decayed tooth may injure every other tooth in the head, just as one rotten apple will spoil a whole sackful. Decayed teeth are not the least good to anybody; they cannot be used for mastication, and they are not beautiful. But they are exceedingly dangerous, and there are more deaths due to carious teeth than you would ever have suspected! The moral of this is obvious: decayed teeth should be removed or stopped at once.
Lady Disdain.—To ask us what natural mineral waters are advised for chronic rheumatism is a very large order. The action of most waters is profoundly obscure, and chronic rheumatism is an equally profoundly obscure disease, so, of course, it is for chronic rheumatism that most mineral springs come into existence. The mere mention of the names of all the waters used for this complaint would occupy a volume. And, moreover, we do not know the names of more than about one in six. But we think that we know the most important of those that have really any value. The sulphur waters are decidedly useful in chronic rheumatism. The best are Harrowgate and Aix-la-Chapelle. All the vast horde of alkaline waters have been advised for rheumatism. Seltzers, Vals, Vichy, Contréxeville, and Alet waters are those chiefly in use. Kreuznach and Woodhall, both of which contain iodine, and Royat, which contains chlorides, are often of great value in chronic joint affections.
Distressed Mother.—In cases where children cannot digest milk—which is almost always due to using milk badly prepared—and in the far more common cases of children requiring extra nourishment, either as the result of wasting disease or just before their taking a more solid diet, do not supplement their food with the patent foods sold for the purpose. These are never what is wanted, and they are frequently exceedingly injurious. A very excellent supplemental food for such cases is the following. It is difficult to make and is rather expensive, but it is in its way almost a perfect food. Follow the directions carefully:—Take four ounces of stale bread without crust (it is better that the bread be made with “seconds” flour); soak the bread for eight hours, squeeze it dry and then boil it in fresh water. Strain it, and rub it through a hair sieve, and allow it to cool. This forms a sort of jelly, and is called “bread jelly.” It is frequently ordered by physicians, and is the first ingredient of this excellent food. The second ingredient is meat juice. To make this, take four ounces of the best rump steak, obtained from a very trustworthy butcher, and shred it up fine. To it add one ounce (two tablespoonfuls) of cold water, previously sterilised by boiling, and squeeze the meat and the water through a muslin bag. Now to proceed. Take five teaspoonfuls of the bread jelly, six of the meat juice, two of fresh cream, and half a teaspoonful of white sugar. Two ounces of this food makes an excellent meal for an infant. You must be very careful to see that everything used in the making of this food is scrupulously clean. The bread jelly and the meat juice must be prepared fresh every day, and the cream must be obtained from a thoroughly reliable source.
[Transcriber’s Note—the following changes have been made to this text:
Page 655: maens to means—“means of this column”.]