Cooling In Heating
Sources:
Papers On Health
Often it is difficult to get a sufficient cooling
effect by means of cold cloths without unduly chilling the patient.
When the head has to be cooled, as in the very dangerous disease
meningitis, the effect must pass through the mass of the skull before
reaching the brain. A large and long continued application is needed
for this. The surface is apt then to be overcooled before the interior
of the head is affected. In s
ch a case the surface of the head, when
the patient feels it too cold, should be gently rubbed, as directed in
Eyes, Squinting, until this feeling goes off. Then the cooling may be
resumed. Or if rubbing be disagreeable, a warm cloth may be applied for
a short time, and cooling then resumed. In this way a succession of
waves of heating and cooling can for a long time be sent through the
surface, with good effect and no chill. The short heating restores the
surface, and does not interfere with the cooling effect reaching the
interior parts. The same principle applies to cooling any part of the
body (see Bathing). Any deep-seated inflammation is best reached in
this way.
For instance, in the large hip-joints it is of vast importance to reach
inflammatory action in parts that are not near the surface, and cold
cloths, pressed constantly, produce distress in the surface, if there
is no intermission in supplying them. The patient is apt to rush to the
conclusion that he must just yield to be blistered, painted with
iodine, covered with belladonna plaster, or burned with red-hot irons!
That is, he will yield to be made a great deal worse in every respect
than he is, because he is not aware that it is quite possible to cure
him without making him worse even for a moment.