No fluid should be taken hotter than the finger can be held in it. This is indeed a good rule always in matters of food and drink, which are often taken too hot, to the injury of the stomach.
Stone.—See Gravel.
Stoutness.—See Breath, and the Heart.
Strangulation or Hanging.—Often accidentally caused in children or intoxicated persons. Waste no time in going for or shouting for assistance. At once cut the rope, necktie, or whatever else causes the tightening. Pull out the tongue and secure it, commence artificial respiration at once (see Drowning), open the windows, make any crowd stand back.
St. Vitus' Dance.—This proceeds from a simple irritation of the spinal nerves, and is to be cured by soothing the spine with persistent cooling. In mild cases this cooling is easily applied with towels wrung out of cold water, and folded so as to lie at least four-ply thick along the whole spine. If narcotic drugs have been largely used, and the nervous system spoiled thereby, a severer form of the trouble comes on, and requires a good deal of care and persistence in cooling. In all cases the cooling of the spine must only be done when the patient is warm in bed.
It will be of great importance, in carrying out this process, to use olive oil in such a way, all over the body, as to help in maintaining the general normal heat. In addition to these suggestions, it may be well to remark that the appearances in such cases are, as a rule, worse than the reality. For instance, the motion of the eyes and of the tongue makes one imagine that the sufferer has lost all reason, and even consciousness of normal character. But this is not so; the brain may not be affected at all, and the worst feeling is that of weariness. We have seen a patient smiling through the most distressing contortions—that is, most distressing to the ordinary observer. It is of great importance that any one who treats such cases should be cool and kind.
It will sometimes be impossible for one person to keep the patient in bed and covered with the clothes so as to keep warm. If so, two must do it. It is, however, to be remembered constantly, that the patient feels it much more agreeable to be held within even close limits than to be allowed to throw arms and legs, and head and body about in all directions. This is a most invaluable truth in such cases. It will not do to hold as with an iron grasp, so that no degree of movement is allowed; but you may hold softly, so that no motion, such as will even disturb the bedclothes, shall take place. This must be done so that all the body shall be comfortably warm when the cold towel is laid along the spine and pressed gently to the centre of the back. In comparatively mild cases, we give an hour of this cooling process every morning only, and the warm washing and anointing with olive oil at bedtime; but in such cases as we sometimes meet with, where drugs have done their mischievous work, it is necessary to cool much more frequently. For instance, when the morning cooling has laid the irritation, and the patient is quiet for an hour, or, perhaps, only half-an-hour, the movement returns. The persons applying the cure are afraid to repeat it till another morning has come. But they need not be so. Or, they apply it for five minutes, and are afraid to continue it longer. They may quite safely apply it as long as they can keep the rest of the body comfortably warm. If they can keep nice, soft blankets well round the patient, as a rule it will not be difficult to keep up all general heat. Let us suppose that, when warm in bed and asleep, the patient wakes up, and the diseased movement begins; it will be well then to ply the back with the cold towel. If the movement is perfectly still in half-an-hour, a rest may be given. If the movement soon returns, the cold can be applied till perfect quiet is had again. This will, perhaps, be secured in twenty minutes or so. A rest and comfortable warming may be given again. If the movement still returns, it may be met by the same cooling process again. If only the heat is kept up all right, the cold towel may be used till the spinal irritation is finally gone.
This simple mode of treatment we have found to be perfectly successful, not only in removing every symptom of nervous irritation, but in giving most vigorous health to patients who, to begin with, were truly miserable-looking subjects. This may be looked for, as well as the mere removal of the malady.
It should be noted that one outstanding feature of St. Vitus' Dance is that the movement ceases during sleep. If this is not the case, other treatment is called for. See Paralysis, and articles under Nerves; Spine, etc.
Sunshine.—Is a most valuable aid to health, acting as a physical and mental tonic. The sunbath, for either portions of the body at a time, or for the whole body, will be found very beneficial to nervous sufferers, and also to those having a tendency to certain skin diseases. Its tonic effect is very noticeable on the hair, giving it better growth and richer colour. Sunlight should be admitted freely into bedrooms and sitting-rooms, for it is hostile to the growth of many of those microbes which cause disease.