DIARRHEA
Categories:
Digestive Organs
Causes.
(a) Improper or excessive food, including green or over-ripe fruit.
(b) Poison substances; such as decomposed milk or meat either fresh or
canned: or caused by arsenic, mercury or colchicum.
(d) Exposure to cold, wet or draughts.
(c) Stomach disorder, preventing thorough digestion.
(e) Extension of inflammation from other organs.
Symptoms. Sudden colicky pain in the bowels, moving about with rumbling
noises. The pain is not constant and is followed at intervals with a
sudden extreme desire to empty the bowels. The stools may be four to
twenty a day, watery or gruel-like in appearance and they sometimes
contain mucus or undigested food. The stools usually relieve the pain for
the time. It usually lasts two or three days or longer.
MOTHERS' REMEDIES. Diarrhea. 1. "Wild Sage Tea." Wild sage tea is a
very good remedy for bowel trouble because of its astringent virtues.
Before the sage is used, however, the bowels should be thoroughly cleansed
with castor oil or salts.
2. Diarrhea, Egg and Nutmeg for. "Beat up an egg, grate in half a nutmeg
and sweeten to taste. Repeat two or three times during the day. Remarks:
Has been known to help in chronic cases when doctors' medicine failed."
3. Diarrhea, Scorched Flour and Sugar for. "Scorched flour in boiled milk
or scorched flour and sugar eaten dry is very good. This is a simple but a
never failing remedy if taken right at the beginning of the trouble."
4. Diarrhea, Excellent Compound for.
"Paregoric 1 ounce
Tincture of Camphor 1/2 ounce
Tincture of Ginger 1/2 ounce
Tincture of Red Pepper 1/2 ounce
Essence of Peppermint 1/2 ounce
Ether 1/2 ounce
Mix. Dose for adult, one teaspoonful to four of water every two hours
if necessary. This is an excellent remedy."
5. Diarrhea, Spice Poultice for. "Make a poultice of all kinds of ground
spices, heat whisky and wet the poultice, apply to the stomach and
bowels."
6. Diarrhea, Blackberry Root Tea for. "One-half ounce blackberry root
boiled in one pint water fifteen minutes, strain. Dose. One teaspoonful
every hour or two until relieved."
[DIGESTIVE ORGANS 109]
7. Diarrhea, Hot Milk, for. "A glass of sweet milk that has been boiled
well. Drink hot; use several times daily until checked."
8. Diarrhea, Castor Oil for. "Castor oil. Dose. One to four teaspoonfuls
according to age. Wrap warm flannel around abdomen."
9. Summer Complaint, Former Canadian's Remedy for. "Eat one blossom of
the May weed every hour or two until relieved. This remedy came from Port
Huron and has been used by my father with success."
10. Summer Complaint, a Goderich Lady Found this Good for. "Powdered
rhubarb, cinnamon, baking soda (one tablespoonful of each), dissolve in
one pint of boiling water, add one tablespoonful of peppermint; take every
hour one teaspoonful in water."
11. Summer Complaint, Inexpensive Remedy for.
"Paregoric 2 ounces
Brandy 1 ounce
Jamaica Ginger 1 ounce
Have used this and found it excellent." Dose: 1/2 dram every 3 hours.
12. Summer Complaint, Fern Root Good to Relieve. "A decoction is made
with two ounces of the sweet fern root boiled in one and one-half pints
water to one pint. Dose. A tablespoonful several times a day as the case
requires. Most useful in diarrhea," This may be purchased at any drug
store and will be found a very good treatment for diarrhea.
13. Summer Complaint, Milk and Pepper a Common Remedy for. "Sweet milk
and black pepper once or twice a day. Dose. Three or four swallows.
Mother used to use this for us children." The milk should be warmed, for
in this way it relieves the diarrhea while the pepper is stimulating.
PHYSICIANS' TREATMENT for Diarrhea. 1. Rest in bed is the best. Abstain
from food, especially at first, and then only give a little milk and
boiled water or milk and lime water every two hours for two days. Cracked
ice is good for the thirst.
2. A dose of one-half to an ounce of castor oil to an adult is of great
benefit, as it removes all the irritating matter from the bowels. This
often cures a light diarrhea. Follow by a blackberry wine or blackberry
cordial if it is more severe.
3. For children. An infusion of path weed is an excellent remedy for this
trouble in children; after castor oil in one to two teaspoonful doses has
been given. If castor oil is too bad to take, you can use what is called
"spiced syrup of rhubarb," one to two teaspoonfuls to a child one to two
years old, and then follow with blackberry wine.
4. For infants. An infusion of chamomile is good for the green diarrhea
of teething babies.
5. Another for infants. For infantile diarrhea the root of geranium
maculation or cranesbill, boiled in milk in the proportion of one or two
roots to the pint, will be found of great service and is tasteless.
6. Ginger tea is frequently of good service, especially when the stomach
needs "toning."
7. Infants of six months. Chalk and bismuth mixture by Dr. Douglass, of
Detroit.
"Subnitrate of Bismuth 2 drams
Paregoric 2 fluid drams
Chalk mixture 2 fluid drams
Mix and shake bottle. Give one-half to one teaspoonful for loose
bowels in a child six months old, every two to four hours as needed."