Damp Beds
Sources: Papers On HealthAn ordinary bed which has not been slept in for some weeks,
although perfectly dry to begin with, will become damp, even in a dry
house, and, unless properly dried, will be a great danger to its next
occupant. This is a preventable danger, and all who entertain guests
should see that they are not exposed to it. Many a fatal illness is due
to the culpable carelessness of those who put a guest into such a bed.
Ignorance
should fully understand their responsibility in this matter.
But if you are put into such a bed it is infinitely better to rise and
dress, and make the best of a night of discomfort, than to sleep among
the damp. If, however, you have so slept, and feel the bad effect, the
best cure will be the SOAPY BLANKET (see). If this cannot be had, a
good hot footbath, with the heat kept just comfortable for half-an-hour
or more, will do very well. This should be done at the earliest
possible moment.
It will add greatly to the efficiency of such treatment if hot water
can be had to drink in small quantities, and often. A few drops of
cayenne "tea" in the water will act as a gentle stimulant.
Old-fashioned folk place great confidence in a "hot drink" in such a
case. This is all very well if they only keep the alcohol out of it:
that destroys vital resources, but never supplies them. We have known
cases in which all power was lost through a single night in a damp bed.
Possibly in these cases it might not have been easy to restore the lost
vitality by any amount of treatment; but we rather think that a speedy
application of genial heat all over would have restored it. In some
apparently hopeless instances it has done so.
More
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Chills
(1) Nerve or imaginary chills. These are feelings of cold, where there is no real chilling; the back feels as if cold water were poured down it, or even the whole body feels chilled, when an examination will show that there is no real chill whatever. ... Chloral
Emetic; warm coffee, and even an enema of coffee. Artificial respiration (see Drowning) may be necessary if breathing gets very low. ... Chloroform
See Child-bearing. ... Chloroform Or Ether (inhaled)
Fresh air. Pull tongue forward, and begin artificial respiration. If heart has stopped, strike chest two or three times over region of heart. ... Chloroform Or Ether (swallowed)
Emetic; enema of hot coffee; keep awake. If necessary, artificial respiration. ... Circulation Of The Blood
Nothing is more important for the health or healing of any organ or part of the body than a good supply of arterial blood. Venous blood, collected by the veins after it has done its work all over the body, or blood stagnating in congested organs, is u... Climate And Soil
The soil on which one lives is a matter of primary importance; it may be a matter of life or death for a weakly person, but it is important for every one. First, as regards the subsoil on which a house is built. If this be clay, or impervious rock, th... Clothing
Clothing should be light yet warm, and sufficiently free so as not to interfere with bodily movements. The clothing next the skin should, we think, be linen, as being more porous and absorbent than wool (see Underwear). No woman who values her health ... Club Foot
Children are not unfrequently born with this deformity in one or other of its various shapes. The cause is to be sought in such a defective state of the nervous system as hinders the proper growth of these parts. If the nerves are treated rightly, the... Cold Cloths
See Towels, Cold Wet. ... Cold In The Head
Infants often are prevented sucking by this form of cold closing up the nostrils. In such a case have a small cap of cotton to fit the head. Wring this out of cold water, and fit it on the child's head. Put on over it a rather larger and thicker cap o... Cold Settled
A cold is often easily overcome. At other times it "sits down," as country people say, and refuses to be cured, a hard dry cough continuing for a long time, and causing sleeplessness and general weakness. In such a case first try to secure an increase... Cold Taking
Where cold is easily "taken," it is the skin which is defective in its action. The cure must therefore deal with it. Even spasmodic asthma can be traced to the failure of the skin to throw off waste sufficiently. Men exposed to great heats and chills,... Constipation
This trouble is often only aggravated and made chronic by the use of purgatives. Some simple change of diet, such as a ripe uncooked apple, eaten before breakfast, or a fruit diet for a day or two may put all right. So also with the use of wheaten mea... Consumption Prevention Of
This most insidious and deadly disease is caused by a tiny vegetable growth derived from persons or animals already suffering from tuberculosis. The spit of consumptive patients swarms with such germs, and when it dries and becomes dust the germs may... Consumption Treatment Of
Turning now to the case when consumption has actually shown itself, the above treatment is exactly the course to be pursued. But we would emphasise the fact that unlimited fresh air and good nourishing foods are the only cure. If the patient can affor... Contraction Of Sinews
This often occurs at the knee, bending the joint so that the patient cannot stretch his limb or walk properly. The injury in such a case is usually at the ends of the sinews, where they are inserted into the bone. If the limb be straightened and put u... Convulsions
For an ordinary convulsive attack in the case of a child, hold the child's head over a basin and pour tepid water (blood heat, 98 deg. F.) over the head. This will usually be sufficient. If not, seat the child in a bath of hot water nearly up to the w... Cooking
The cooking of vegetables requires particular care. The valuable salts and other nutritive ingredients they contain are easily dissolved by water, and when they are drained, and the water thrown away, as is usually done, all this nutriment is lost. Do... Cooling In Heating
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 befor... Copper
Emetic, white of egg to follow. ... Coughs
These will be found treated under the various heads of Colds, Bronchitis, Consumption, etc., but some particular cases of mere cough demand special attention. A tickling cough sometimes comes on, and seems to remain in spite of all efforts to get rid ... Cramp In The Limbs
The treatment of this is to apply cold cloths to the roots of the nerves which govern the affected limb or limbs. For the legs, the cold is applied to the lower spine; for the arms or hands, it is applied to the upper part. The limbs affected should a... Cramp In The Stomach
This very severe trouble, though resisting ordinary methods of treatment, is not difficult to cure by right means. If help is at hand, the patient may be placed in a shallow bath, and cold water splashed with a sponge or towel against the back. A bad ... Croup Less Serious Form
The less serious croup proceeds from a nervous closing of the windpipe, the attack being brought on by any causes of irritation in the nervous system. In this case, when the fit reaches a certain stage, the throat opens, and breathing proceeds as usu... Croup More Serious Form
This is caused by an accumulation of material in the windpipe, which is coughed up in pieces of pipe-like substance, and which, if not removed, threatens suffocation. For treatment, first give sips of hot water (distilled water is best) frequently. W... Cures As Self-applied
Often young people in lodgings are in difficulty for want of some one to apply the necessary treatment in their own case. It is often, however, possible to treat oneself quite successfully by exercising care and common sense. Help should always be go... Cures Losing Their Effect
After a fortnight's treatment often matters seem to come to a standstill in a case, and then the attendants are apt to despair. Such a state of things indicate only the need for some change in treatment, or perhaps for a rest from treatment for some ... Damp Beds
An ordinary bed which has not been slept in for some weeks, although perfectly dry to begin with, will become damp, even in a dry house, and, unless properly dried, will be a great danger to its next occupant. This is a preventable danger, and all who... Deafness
See Hearing. ... Decline
See Consumption. ... Declining Limb A
See Limbs, Drawn up. ... Delirium In Fever
The best way of treating this truly distressing symptom is by cooling and soothing applications to the head. We have seen in one case large cool cloths applied to the head for some time every three hours or so. An almost immediate cessation of the del... Depression
This is usually a bodily illness, though often regarded as mental only. It appears in loss of interest in all that otherwise would be most interesting. A mother loses interest in her children, a man in his business, and so on. Students, and children o... Diabetes
There are two more or less distinct stages of this serious trouble; the first stage is generally curable, the second stage generally incurable. Yet good natural means of cure will very much alleviate even the incurable stage. The earlier as well as th... Diarrhoea
Sudden attacks of this, though in a mild form, are very troublesome. An enema of cold water is in such cases often an immediate cure. The first injection may be followed by even an excessive motion, but if a second cold injection be given this will c... Diet
The composition of different articles of food varies. A turnip is not the same as a piece of cheese. It is more watery, and has more fibre in it, and we speak of it as less nutritious. There are, however, in almost all foods certain chemical substance... Diet And Corpulence
A tendency to obesity should always be carefully checked by attention to diet and exercise (see Exercise). The fattening foods are those which contain either fat or carbonaceous substances. Carbonaceous substances are found in bread, sugar, arrowroot... Diet Economy In
Dr. Hutchison, one of our greatest authorities on the subject of Dietetics, has well said-- "The dearest foods are by no means the best. 'Cheap and nasty' is not a phrase which can be applied to things which you eat. A pound of Stilton cheese at 1s... Diet For Middle Age And The Aged
In advancing years when less exercise is, as a rule, taken, a restriction in the amount of food consumed is highly desirable. The increasing corpulence, which often begins to show itself from 30 to 40, is far from being a healthy sign; indeed, is oft... Diet For The Lean
To a large extent the preceding article will suggest what is suitable here, remembering, however, that regular exercise will be also necessary in order to enable the muscles to increase in size. Green vegetables and fruits should be largely used in a... Digestion
Digestion is the process whereby the food we eat is turned into material fit to be assimilated by the blood. It begins in the mouth by the mechanical grinding and crushing of the food, and the chemical conversion of the starchy part into sugar, in whi... Diphtheria
The most striking symptom of diphtheria is the growth of a substance in the upper part of the windpipe, which threatens to close it entirely. Good medical skill is of first importance here, yet much may be done where that is not available. We have oft... Douche Cold
In its most powerful form this is a solid stream of water directed down on the patient's shoulders and spine. It may be applied either by an apparatus fixed up for the purpose, or by merely pouring from a watering-can without a rose. Its power depends... Drinks Refreshing
This is a matter of great importance to the sick. Nor is anything more important to be said on them than this, that the foundation of all such drinks must be water. This water must be pure, and is best distilled, or boiled and filtered. Long boiling ... Dropsy
This trouble is rather a symptom than a disease. It rises from accumulation of watery waste in the body, owing to improper action of the skin, lungs, or kidneys, and sometimes follows scarlet or other fevers and lung affections. By far the greatest da... Drowning
Many valuable lives have been saved by an elementary knowledge of what to do in the case of one apparently suffocated or drowned. Commence treatment immediately in the open air, with the face down, neck and chest exposed, and all tight clothing suc... Dwining
We give this name to a trouble from which we have been able to save some patients, as expressing best the general failure and weakness which sometimes constitute a serious danger, even where all specific symptoms are wanting. Some cases of this kind w... Dysentery
This is an affection of the bowels of the nature of diarrhoea, but much worse, as in it blood accompanies the bowel discharge. It usually begins as diarrhoea, and at this stage may be cured by either warm vinegar and water or simple cold water injecte... Dyspepsia
See Indigestion. ... Earache
In the common form this is purely neuralgic. The nerves are in shape and distribution like some tender plant, the root in the brain or spinal cord, and the ends of the branches in the organs supplied by them with nerve power. They are best affected, a... Ears Running
In this trouble there is indicated a failure somewhere of the clearance of waste from the body. This matter gathers locally in the ear, where suppuration and discharge take place. A cure must not be directed to the ear alone, but first the general was... Ears Singing In The
Partial deafness is often accompanied by noises in the ear, which are very annoying. This is caused by the internal state of the ear, and is often due especially to the state of the aural nerve. Similar noises are heard also when we place our fingers ... Eczema
Skin eruptions, known under this name, have very various causes. Treatment must vary accordingly. Where the cause is a failure of the skin to act properly, the whole skin of the body, especially the chest and back, will be dry and hard. In this cas... Elbow Joint
See Armpit Swelling and Bone. ... Enemas Cold Water
Prejudice often exists against cold treatment of any kind, but it must be overcome, unless the sick would lose some of the most precious means of relief which we possess. The Enema Syringe, or Fountain Enema, may be had from any druggist, and is used ...