This cough seldom affects adults, but proves often fatal to children. Such children as live upon thin watery diet, who breathe unwholesome air, and have too little exercise, are most liable to this disease, and generally suffer most from it.
The chin-cough is so well known, even to nurses, that a description of it is unnecessary. Whatever hurts the digestion, obstructs the perspiration, or relaxes the solids, disposes to this disease: consequently its cure must depend upon cleansing and strengthening the stomach, bracing the solids, and at the same time promoting perspiration and the different secretions.
The diet must be light, and of easy digestion; for children, good bread made into pap or pudding, chicken-broth, with other light spoon meats, are proper; but those who are farther advanced may be allowed sago-gruel, and if the fever be not high, a little boiled chicken, or other white meats. The drink may be hyssop, or penny-royal tea, sweetened with honey or sugar-candy, small wine-whey; or, if the patient be weak, he may sometimes be allowed a little negus.
One of the most effectual remedies in the chin-cough is change of air. This often removes the malady, even when the change seems to be from a purer to a less wholesome air. This may in some measure depend on the patient’s being removed from the place where the infection prevails. Most of the diseases of children are infectious; nor is it at all uncommon to find the chin-cough prevailing in one town or village, when another, at a very small distance, is quite free from it. But whatever be the cause, we are sure of the fact. No time ought therefore to be lost in removing the patient at some distance from the place where he caught the disease, and, if possible, into a more pure and warm air[[112]].
When the disease proves violent, and the patient is in danger of being suffocated by the cough, he ought to be bled, especially if there be a fever with a hard full pulse. But as the chief intention of bleeding is to prevent an inflammation of the lungs, and to render it more safe to give vomits, it will seldom be necessary to repeat the operation; yet if there are symptoms of an inflammation of the lungs, a second or even a third bleeding may be requisite.
It is generally reckoned a favourable symptom when a fit of coughing makes the patient vomit. This cleanses the stomach, and greatly relieves the cough. It will therefore be proper to promote this discharge, either by small doses of ipecacuanha, or the vomiting julep recommended in the Appendix[[113]].
It is very difficult to make children drink after a vomit. I have often seen them happily deceived, by infusing a scruple or half a drachm of the powder of ipecacuanha in a tea-pot, with half an English pint of boiling water. If this be disguised with a few drops of milk and a little sugar, they will imagine it tea, and drink it very greedily. A small tea-cupful of this may be given every quarter of an hour, or rather every ten minutes, till it operates. When the child begins to puke, there will be no occasion for drinking any more, as the water already on the stomach will be sufficient.
Vomits not only cleanse the stomach, which in this disease is generally loaded with viscid phlegm, but they likewise promote the perspiration and other secretions, and ought therefore to be repeated according to the obstinacy of the disease. They should not however be strong; gentle vomits frequently repeated are both less dangerous, and more beneficial than strong ones.
The body ought to be kept gently open. The best medicines for this purpose are rhubarb and its preparations, as the syrup, tincture, &c. Of these a tea-spoonful or two may be given to an infant twice or thrice a-day, as there is occasion. To such as are farther advanced, the dose must be proportionally increased, and repeated till it has the desired effect. Those who cannot be brought to take the bitter tincture, may have an infusion of senna and prunes, sweetened with manna, coarse sugar, or honey; or a few grains of rhubarb mixed with a tea-spoonful or two of syrup, or currant jelly, so as to disguise the taste. Most children are fond of syrups and jellies, and seldom refuse even a disagreeable medicine when mixed with them.
Many people believe that oily, pectoral, and balsamic medicines possess wonderful virtues for the cure of the chin-cough, and accordingly exhibit them plentifully to patients of every age and constitution, without considering that every thing of this nature must load the stomach, hurt the digestion, and of course aggravate the disorder[[114]].