When dysenteries prevail, we would recommend a strict attention to cleanliness, a spare use of animal food, and the free use of sound ripe fruits, and other vegetables. The night air is to be carefully avoided, and all communication with the sick. Bad smells are likewise to be shunned, especially those which arise from putrid animal substances. The necessaries where the sick go are carefully to be avoided.
When the first symptoms of the dysentery appear, the patient ought immediately to take a vomit, to go to bed, and drink plentifully of weak warm liquor, to promote a sweat. This, with a dose or two of rhubarb at the beginning, would often carry off the disease. In countries where dysenteries prevail, we would advise such as are liable to them, to take either a vomit or a purge every spring or autumn, as a preventive.
There are sundry other fluxes of the belly, as the LIENTERY and CŒLIAC PASSION, which, though less dangerous than the dysentery, yet merit consideration. These diseases generally proceed from a relaxed state of the stomach and intestines, which is sometimes so great, that the food passes through them without almost any sensible alterations; and the patient dies merely from the want of nourishment.
When the lientery or cœliac passion succeeds to a dysentery, the case is bad. They are always dangerous in old age, especially when the constitution has been broken by excess or acute diseases. If the stools be very frequent, and quite crude, the thirst great, with little urine, the mouth ulcerated, and the face marked with spots of different colours, the danger is very great.
The treatment of the patient is in general the same as in the dysentery. In all obstinate fluxes of the belly, the cure must be attempted, by first cleansing the stomach and bowels with gentle vomits and purges; afterwards such a diet as has a tendency to heal and strengthen the bowels, with opiates and astringent medicines, will generally perfect the cure.
The same observation holds with respect to a TENESMUS, or frequent desire of going to stool. This disease resembles the dysentery so much, both in its symptoms and method of cure, that we think it needless to insist upon it.
CHAP. XXXIV.
OF THE HEAD-ACH.
Aches and pains proceed from very different causes, and may affect any part of the body; but we shall point out those only which occur most frequently, and are attended with the greatest danger.
When the head-ach is slight, and affects a particular part of the head only, it is called cephalalgia; when the whole head is affected, cephalæa; and when on one side only, hemicrania. A fixed pain in the forehead, which may be covered with the end of the thumb, is called the clavis hystericus.
There are also other distinctions. Sometimes the pain is internal, sometimes external; sometimes it is an original disease, and at other times only symptomatic. When the head-ach proceeds from a hot bilious habit, the pain is very acute and throbbing, with a considerable heat of the part affected. When from a cold phlegmatic habit, the patient complains of a dull heavy pain, and has a sense of coldness in the part. This kind of head-ach is sometimes attended with a degree of stupidity or folly.