Mother's Remedies by Thomas Jefferson Ritter (positive books to read txt) 📕

these patients are the ones, and they generally are "laughed at and made fun of" by people who should know better. Remember their troubles are real to them, and are due to exhaustion or prostration of the nervous system and this condition, as before described, produces horrid feelings and sensations of almost every part of the body. The patient must be made to believe that he may expect to get well; and he must be told that much depends upon himself, and that he must make a vigorous effort to overcome certain of his tendencies, and that all his power of will will be needed to further the progress of the cure. [282 MOTHERS' REMEDIES]

First, then, is rest.—Both mental and physical diversions, nutritious though easily digested food, and removal of baneful influences as far as possible. Physical exercise for the lazy. Rest for the anemic and weak. For business or professional men the treatment is to get away and far off, if possible, from business. It will often be found best to make out a daily programme for those that must remain at home, something to keep the mind busy without tiring, and then times of rest. The patient, if it is possible, should be away from home if home influences and surroundings are not agreeable. Dr. S. Weir Mitchell, of Philadelphia, has devised and elaborated a cure, called a rest cure, for the relief of this class of patients, and it is wonderfully successful especially in thin people. "Be the symptoms what they may, as long as they are dependent upon nerve strain, this 'cure' is to be resorted to, and if properly carried out is often attended with surprising results." "A bright, airy, easily cleaned, and comfortable room, is to be selected, and adjoining it, if possible, should be a smaller one for an attendant or nurse. The patient is put to bed and kept there from three to six weeks, or longer as may be necessary, and during this time is allowed to see no one except the nurse and doctor, since the presence of friends requires conversation and mental effort. The patient in severe cases must be fed by the nurse in order to avoid expenditure of the force required in the movement of the arms. No sitting up in bed is allowed and if any reading is done it must be done by the nurse who can read aloud for an hour a day (I have seen cases where even that could not be done). In the case of women, the hair should be dressed by the nurse to avoid any physical effort on the part of the patient. To take the place of ordinary exercise, two measures are employed, the first of which is massage or rubbing; the second, electricity. By the kneading and rubbing of the muscles and skin the liquids in the tissues are absorbed and poured into the lymph spaces, and a healthy blush is brought to the skin. This passive exercise is performed in the morning or afternoon, and should last from one-half to an hour, every part of the body being kneaded, even the face and scalp. In the afternoon or morning the various muscles should be passively exercised by electricity, each muscle being made to contact by the application of the poles of the battery to its motor points, the slowly interrupted current being used. Neither of these forms of exercise call for any expenditure of nerve force; they keep up the general nutrition. The following programme for a day's existence is an example of what the physician should order:

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7:30 a. m.—Glass of hot or cold milk, predigested, boiled or raw as the case requires.

8:00 a. m.—The nurse is to sponge the patient with tepid water or with cold and hot water alternately to stimulate the skin and circulation, the body being well wrapped in a blanket, except the portion which is being bathed. After this the nurse should dry the part last wetted, with a rough towel, using some friction to stimulate the skin.

8:30 a. m.—Breakfast. Boiled, poached or scrambled eggs, milk toast, water toast, or a finely cut piece of mutton chop or chicken.

10:00 a. m.—Massage.

11:00 a. m.—A glass of milk, or a milk punch, or egg-nog.

12:00 m.—Reading for an hour.

1:00 p. m.—Dinner. Small piece of steak, rare roast beef, consomme soup, mutton broth, and any one of the easily digested vegetables, well cooked.

3:00 p. m.—Electricity.

4:30 p. m.—A glass of milk, a milk punch or egg-nog.

6:30 p. m.—Supper. This should be very plain, no tea or coffee, but toast and butter, milk, curds and whey, or a plain custard.

9 :30 p. m.—A glass of milk or milk punch.

In this way the day is well filled, and the time does not drag so heavily as would be thought. If the stomach rebels at over feeding, the amount of food must be cut down, but when all the effort of the body is concentrated on respiration, circulation, and digestion a large amount of nourishment can be assimilated by the exhausted body, which before this treatment is undertaken may have had its resources so shattered as to be unable to carry out any physiological act perfectly. For the treatment to be successful the rules laid down should be rigidly followed, and the cure should last from three to six weeks or longer."

HYSTERIA.—A state in which ideas control the body and produce morbid changes in its functions.

Causes.—It occurs mostly in women, and usually appears first about the time of puberty, but the manifestations may continue until the menopause or even until old age. It occurs in all races. Children under twelve years are not very often affected. A physician writes: One of the saddest chapters in the history of human deception, that of the Salem witches, might be headed, "Hysteria in Children," since the tragedy resulted directly from the hysterical pranks of girls under twelve years of age. During late years it has been quite frequent among men and boys. It seems to occur oftener in the warm and mild climates than in the cold. There are two predisposing causes that are very important—heredity and education. Heredity acts by endowing the child with a movable (mobile) abnormally sensitive nervous organization. Cases are seen most frequently in families with marked nervous disease tendencies, whose members have suffered from various sorts of nervous diseases.

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Education.—The proper home education is neglected. Some parents allow their girls to grow up accustomed to have every whim gratified, abundant sympathy lavished on every woe, however trifling, and the girl reaches womanhood with a moral organization unfitted to withstand the cares and worries of every-day life. And between the ages of twelve and sixteen, the most important in her life, when the vital energies are absorbed in the rapid development of the body, the girl is often "cramming" for examinations and cooped in close schoolrooms for six or eight hours daily; not only that, but at home she is often practicing and taking lessons on the piano in connection with the full school work. The result too often is an active bright mind in an enfeebled body, ill-adapted to subserve the functions for which it was framed, easily disordered, and prone to act abnormally to the ordinary stimuli of life.

Direct Influences.—Those influences that directly bring on the attack are fright, anxiety, grief, love affairs, and domestic worries, especially in those of a nervous nature. Diseases of the generative organs and organic diseases in general, and of the nervous system especially, may be causes of hysteria.

Symptoms.—These may be divided into two classes: 1. Interparoxysmal or time between the paroxysms (spells). 2. Paroxysmal. During the time of the attack. First variety—The will power seems defective. In bad cases self-control is lost. The patient is irritable, and easily annoyed by the slightest trifle; is very excitable and easily moved to laughter or tears without any apparent cause for either. Easily discouraged and despondent. She wants lots of sympathy. Second—Loss of sensation is frequently present, and it is most commonly one-sided; it may involve certain parts, as one or two limbs, the trunk escaping, or part of one limb. Various spots of want of sensation (feeling) may exist. The skin of the affected side is frequently pale and cool and a pin prick may not cause bleeding. In some cases they feel the touch of the hand, but there is no feeling from heat. There may also be oversensitiveness to pain and of the skin. It may be one-sided or both, or only in spots. The left ovarian region is a common sensitive point; also over the breasts, lower positions of the ribs, on top of the head and over many portions of the backbone. Pain in the head is a very common and distressing symptom, and is usually on the top. Pain in the back is common. Abdominal pains may be very severe and the abdomen may be so tender as to be mistaken for peritonitis. Various parts of the body may have neuralgic pains. There may be intense pain around the heart. There may be complete blindness, the taste and smell may be disturbed or complete loss of hearing. Third—Paralysis is frequently present. It may be one-sided or only of the lower extremities, or only one limb. The face is usually not involved when it is on one side. The leg is more affected than the arm. Sensation is lessened or lost on the affected side. Paralysis of the lower extremities is more frequent than one-sided paralysis. The power in the limbs hardly ever is entirely lost; the legs may usually be moved, but the legs give way if the patient tries to stand. The affected muscles do not waste. The feet are usually extended and turn inward. Sudden loss of voice occurs in many cases. The paralysis is generally paroxysmal, and is frequently associated with contractures, shortening of the muscle. The contractures may come on suddenly or slowly, and may last minutes, hours, or months, and some cases even years. Movements of the hands, arms, etc., like the motions in chorea are often seen in the young. A trembling (tremor) is sometimes seen in these patients. It most commonly involves the hands and arms, more rarely the head and legs. These movements are small and quick. Fourth—Swallowing may be difficult on account of spasms of the muscles of the pharynx. The larynx may be involved and interfere with respiration. Indigestion in some form is often present. The stomach and bowels may be very much bloated with gas. There may be a "phantom tumor" in the intestine (bowel). Constipation may be very obstinate, vomiting may be present and persistent and hiccough present. The action of the heart may be irregular, and rapid heart action is common. The least motion may cause difficult breathing and false Angina Pectoris (heart pang); the urine is retained not infrequently in female patients.

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Symptoms of the Paroxysms.—Convulsive seizures are common manifestations of hysteria, and frequently present a great similarity to epilepsy. The prodromal (fore-running) symptoms are frequently present and may begin several days before the convulsion occurs. In milder forms, in which the cause may be due to a temporary physical exhaustion, or emotional shock, the fore-running symptoms are of short duration. The patient may become very nervous, irritable, impatient, have fits of laughing and crying, alternately, or have a feeling of a chill rising in the throat. The convulsion follows these symptoms. The patient generally falls in a comfortable place; consciousness is only apparently lost, for she frequently remembers what has taken place; the tongue is rarely bitten, In the milder forms the movements are apt to be disorderly. In the severe forms the movements are apt to be a lasting contraction of the muscles and the patient may have the head and feet drawn back and the abdomen drawn front. There then may follow a condition of ecstacy, sleepiness, catalepsy, trance, or the patient may show symptoms of a delirium with the most extraordinary sights of unreal things. These convulsions may last for several hours or days. Firm pressure over the ovaries may bring on a convulsion, or if made during a convulsion may arrest it. The disease is rarely dangerous to life, yet death has followed exhaustion induced by repeated convulsions or prolonged fasting. The duration of hysteria is very uncertain.

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DURING A CONVULSION. The first thing to do is not to be frightened. A patient in a convulsion from hysteria very seldom injures herself during the convulsions. If you are sure it is hysteria, give a nasty tasting medicine, asafoetida is a splendid remedy, but not in pill form, for there is no taste or smell to them. Sometimes a convulsion may be arrested by the sudden use of ice to the backbone