It is very beneficial to weak patients to frequently wash their hands, face and neck, without drying them.
A very careful treatment of the hair is also a great necessity, especially for women. Clean and well combed hair is very beneficial to a patient. Slight ablutions of the head and combing the hair while wet, are very cooling and refreshing.
The stronger the nature of a patient, the safer it becomes to rely upon a single mode of procedure. Thus, cold packs may be sufficient in case of high fever if applied about every half hour or hour; or, if the temperature is not quite so high, at intervals, from one hour and a half to two hours With weaker persons more variety of procedure is imperative, but none of them must be too stringently applied. In these cases mild ablutions should be used several times during the day, and they may be alternated with packs of the whole lower part of the body or packs on the calves of the legs.
Cool or cold enemas are rapidly absorbed and thus have a quieting influence on the large blood reservoir in the abdomen. Little mouthfuls of water are also taken from time to time, but too much water always weakens the patient.
(C) DIET IN CASES OF FEVER.
As diet in cases of fever I recommend the prescriptions of Professor Moritz, which coincide with my own experiences, so far as a fever diet is concerned; and in addition the physiologico-chemical cell-food which I have used for many years with the greatest success (Dech-Manna Diet). The importance of the latter is due to the fact that it not only prevents the destruction of the cells, but has a general strengthening effect upon the system.
Whatever the differences in manifestation the febrile diseases may show, the febrile reduction of the digestive capacity of the stomach and the bowels is so characteristic, that it should be specially noted in this connection.
True, fever shows considerable disturbance of metabolism, since the decomposition of the albumen is increased in an abnormal way. This fact, however, does not demand any particular attention, in regard to diet. As far as possible during fever it is well to exercise an economizing influence on the decomposition of the albumen of the body through the introduction of all kinds of food that produce energy, so that it is not necessary to give preference to any one particular kind of food.
The injury to digestion during fever comprises not only the peptic functions, which manifest themselves clearly in a reduction of the excretion of hydrochloric acid, but all functions pertaining thereto, the motory as well as the resorptive.
The danger that the patient will receive too much solid food, hard to digest, is generally speaking not very great since, during acute fever, patients as a rule show a decided lack of appetite. The other extreme is the more likely to occur; that the amount of nutrition given may be less than what is requisite and helpful; too much deference being paid to the inclinations of the patient. Formerly the general belief obtained that fever would be increased, in a degree detrimental to the patient, by allowing the consumption of any considerable amount of food, and following this doctrine, the patient was permitted to go hungry. This, however, is absolutely erroneous. No one would feed a feverish person in a forcible manner, but it is absolutely imperative to take care that he receives food productive of energy in reasonable quantities.