Elbows on the Chest.
Cautions: Prevent crowding, avoid rough usage; if the body is on the back have the tongue secured. Never hold up the body by the feet. Never place the body in a warm bath, unless under medical direction, and even then only momentarily.
Dwining.—We give this name to a trouble from which we have been able to save some patients, as expressing best the general failure and weakness which sometimes constitute a serious danger, even where all specific symptoms are wanting. Some cases of this kind we have cured, when they were supposed to be hopelessly dying, by the use of simple soap lather. The skin of the patient is usually dry, and the pulse feverish. In such a case take lather, made as directed in article Head, Soaping, and spread it gently all over the stomach and heart. Repeat this six or seven times, keeping the patient warm in bed. Then, after drying, do the same thing to the back. This does immense good. For the general skin stimulation, rub over with the mixture for night sweats (see). The skin is rubbed over with this five or six times, once a day.
Where there is no feverishness, but rather cold feelings, then use the warm lather as directed, and rub well all over afterwards with hot olive oil. This treatment alone we know to have cured many.
Dysentery.—This is an affection of the bowels of the nature of diarrhœa, but much worse, as in it blood accompanies the bowel discharge. It usually begins as diarrhœa, and at this stage may be cured by either warm vinegar and water or simple cold water injected into the bowel (see Diarrhœa). Where there is any reason to suspect the water supply, that should be boiled for half-an-hour and cooled before use. Attention to the diet, taking for a time milk diet alone, is also important. Nothing can be better than boiled bread and milk, giving no more than the sufferer feels he needs. When the diarrhœa has passed into true dysentery, with blood discharge, or the trouble begins as such, then enemas of weak acetic acid, or vinegar and water, given warm (i.e., a little over blood heat), must be used instead of cold water. As much vinegar should be used as will make the mixture (see Acetic Acid) very slightly smarting when applied to a tender part of the skin—say, to the corner of the eye. What is wanted is just as much acid as will act healingly on the injured vessels, and no more. An enema of this water mixed with acid may be repeated as long as required with perfect safety and good effect every time. Even if the disease has made very serious progress, this will tell upon it powerfully. These warm enemas should be very resolutely followed up as long as they give the least comfortable feeling. No one who has not felt their magical effect can conceive how powerful they are. We have seen a patient on the point of giving in and lying down as a helpless invalid made perfectly fit for work in less than an hour by this mode of treatment.
Where the trouble has passed into that stage where the patient is much weakened, in addition to this the armchair fomentation (see) should be employed; or if the patient be too weak, the fomentation may be properly wrapped round him in bed without rising. If the patient be too weak for wrapping round the body, he may be first wrapped round the legs, and so strengthened as to stand the stronger remedy. Olive oil must be rubbed on the skin before and after fomenting. The heat may be kept up for an hour. If too weak to stand even this, the feet and legs may be first fomented, and afterwards the body. This treatment has saved many cases from disaster. See also British Cholera; Diarrhœa.
Dyspepsia.—See Indigestion.
Earache.—In the common form this is purely neuralgic. The nerves are in shape and distribution like some tender plant, the root in the brain or spinal cord, and the ends of the branches in the organs supplied by them with nerve power. They are best affected, and most easily cured, by applications to the root rather than the branch ends. This is greatly the case with earache, which is a trouble of the nerves of the ear—not those of hearing, but the ordinary nerves supplying the part. The remedy is to press cold cloths on the back of the head and neck. This will often give instant relief. It is best done when the patient is thoroughly warm. If he be cold and clammy in feeling, the feet and legs must be well fomented before applying the cooling. Rub all parts treated with warm olive oil when the treatment is finished.
Ears, Running.—In this trouble there is indicated a failure somewhere of the clearance of waste from the body. This matter gathers locally in the ear, where suppuration and discharge take place. A cure must not be directed to the ear alone, but first the general waste-removing system should be stimulated with special reference to its service in the ear. Rubbing the back with hot olive oil and gentle pressure for a long time, say forty minutes daily, will go further to cure the ears than anything which can be done to themselves. Gatherings, by this treatment, are often quickly dissolved and dispersed.
Where actual waste matter runs out of the ear, the treatment is to have a round camel's-hair brush and soak the interior of the ear, using the brush, with warm weak vinegar, or weak acetic acid, just sour to the taste; then brush with a little fine almond oil, and wipe very gently as dry as possible.