Every Man His Own Doctor / The Cold Water, Tepid Water, and Friction-Cure, as Applicable to Every Disease to Which the Human Frame Is Subject, and Also to the Cure of Disease in Horses and Cattle

by R. T. Claridge

Sprains.—In all cases of sprains, rub the part, with hands dipped in water, for a long time; the oftener the better, and put on a wet bandage, which when heat has subsided, change for a heating bandage.

If the sprain is a bad one, apply a cold bath or cold affusion to the part for half an hour, then the wet, and afterwards the heating bandage, which change often.

The bath should be repeated thrice a day, and friction used the whole time.

If general treatment is necessary, then packing-sheets. Tepid bath and tepid sitting baths must be resorted to.

Sprained Ankle.—Put the foot immediately into cold water, and rub foot, ankle, and leg up to the knee for an hour, particularly the wounded part. The water of the bath, after the first time, only up to the instep, but repeated three or four times a day. Bandage the foot, ankle, and leg up to the knee; first, with quite wet bandages, and when inflammation has somewhat subsided, then with heating bandage. The foot should not be allowed to remain quiet. If not able to move about, the patient should put a rolling pin under his foot and keep that in movement. By these means a sprained ankle is cured in a few days, that without it might continue for a month or longer.

Wound in the Abdomen.—A lad leaning upon a piece of wood, hurt his abdomen; it was rubbed with cold water for half an hour, followed by sitz-bath half an hour twice a day.

Bleeding at the Nose.—Sprinkle the face with water, bandage the back of the neck and the loins; shallow foot bath, where obstinate. Bandage the genitals and change the bandage often.

Dr. Gibbs states, that whilst at Gräfenberg, he was greatly troubled with bleeding at the nose. He tried bandages at the back of the neck and foot-bath to no purpose. Priessnitz then ordered him two packing-sheets in succession, the first fifteen minutes, the other twenty-five minutes, followed by cold bath. This treatment had the desired effect.

I knew a case where a man bled profusely at the nose. He put his feet up to the calves of his legs in cold water, and the bleeding stopped in ten minutes.