Pœppelmann suggests the following method for the home treatment of
sciatica. A pail of boiling water is placed in a tub large enough to
permit an old chair to be set in it. A tablespoonful of ol. pini
sylvestris is poured into the boiling water, the patient seated on the
chair with his feet outside the tub, and two sheets pinned around his
neck, so that they reach the floor on all sides, covering him completely
but leaving the head free. In this steam bath the patient is allowed to
remain for twenty minutes. He is then rubbed briskly with a cold wet
cloth, dried and put to bed for an hour. If necessary, especially with
elderly people, cold applications may be made to the head during the
process of steaming. Internally, iodides are given, preferably
iodine-vasogen, 7–8 drops three times daily. The bowels must be kept
freely open. The baths are given every other day, and five to fifteen
sittings are required for a cure. In the author’s hands a successful
outcome has been practically uniform.—_Critic and Guide._