DISEASES, AND THEIR TREATMENT WITHOUT ALCOHOL.
The question, "What shall I take instead of wine, beer or brandy?" is
frequently asked by those who have been trained to think some form of
alcohol really necessary to the cure of disease, but, who, from
principle would prefer other agents, if they knew of any equal in
effect. This chapter deals somewhat with the answer to that question.
ALCOHOLIC CRAVING:--The craving for alcohol may be present for a time
after a person has commenced to abstain from all beverages containing
it. Or, it may occur periodically, as a sort of irresistible impulse.
For the periodical craving Dr. Higginbotham, of England, recommends that
a half drachm of ipecacuanha be taken so as to produce full vomiting. He
says the desire for intoxicating drinks will be immediately removed. The
craving is caused by vitiated secretions of the stomach; the vomiting
removes these. Dr. Higginbotham says:--
"If a patient can be persuaded to follow the emetic plan for a
few times when the periodical attacks come on, he will be
effectually cured."
Some men in trying to abstain have found the use of fresh fruit,
especially apples, very helpful. Nourishing and digestible food should
be taken somewhat frequently. A cup of hot milk or hot coffee taken at
the right moment has saved some.
ANAEMIA:--In this complaint there is a deficiency of the red corpuscles
of the blood. It may be the result of some fever or exhausting illness;
it may accompany dyspepsia, and is then due to imperfect digestion and
assimilation of the food. The poverty of the blood produces shortness of
breath, and often palpitation of the heart also, especially on a little
exertion. There is generally more or less weariness, languor and
debility, sometimes also giddiness, sickness, fainting and neuralgia.
"In the treatment of anaemia, port wine and other alcoholic
liquors are worse than useless."--DR. J. J. RIDGE, London.
"The common prescription of wine or some form of spirits for
states of general exhaustion and anaemia, is a serious mistake.
It assumes that the temporary increase in the action of the
heart is renewed vigor, and that some power is added to the
failing energies. This theory rests solely on the statement of
the patient that he feels better. In reality the exhaustion is
intensified, though covered up."--_Medical Pioneer._
"Deficiency of nutrition, of light and of pure air may be
mentioned as common causes of anaemia. * * * * * It is evident
that the first step in the treatment of this disease is to
remove the cause. If the cause is dyspepsia, this must receive
attention; if intestinal parasites, they must be dislodged; if
prolonged nursing, nursing must be interdicted; if too little
food, a larger quantity of nourishing, wholesome food must be
employed. Such simple and easily digested foods as eggs, poached
or boiled, boiled milk, kumyzoon, good buttermilk, puree of
peas, beans or lentils, boiled rice, well-cooked gruels and
other preparations of grains are suitable. Beef tea and extracts
are worthless. * * * * *
"A careful course of physical training is essential to securing
perfect recovery in cases of chronic anaemia due to indigestion,
or any other serious disturbance of the nutritive
processes."--DR. J. H. KELLOGG.
APPETITE, LOSS OF:--"There is often disinclination for food
because _it is not required_. Many cannot eat much breakfast,
because they have had a hearty supper. Or having had both a
hearty breakfast and luncheon, they feel but little desire for a
dinner of four or five courses. Generally the stomach is right
and the habits wrong. What is to be done then, for such lack of
appetite? Simply go without food until appetite comes.
"When ale or beer is taken regularly with meals the stomach
learns to expect them, and the food is not relished without
them. The appetizing power of beer and bitter ales is chiefly
due to the hop or other bitter ingredients which they contain.
When it seems necessary to assist the appetite temporarily, a
small quantity of simple infusion of hops may be taken.
"Sometimes appetite fails because of exhaustion of body and
mind. This may be nature's warning against overwork, and cannot
be neglected with impunity. Life will inevitably be shortened if
it is found necessary to rely upon the aid of alcohol in any
form in order to do a day's work.
"Bouillon, or beef soup, at the beginning of a meal are
incentives to appetite. Change of scene, and life in the open
air are the very best aids to appetite, when aids are really
required."
APOPLEXY:--"There is a popular idea that whenever a person is
taken ill with giddiness, fainting or insensibility, brandy
should be at once procured and poured down his throat. Nothing
can be more dangerous in apoplexy. This disease is due to the
bursting of some blood-vessel in the head, and the poured-out
blood presses on the brain and leads to more or less
insensibility. If fainting occurs, it may possibly save the
patient's life, because then the blood-vessels contract, and the
flow of blood ceases immediately; time is thus given for the
ruptured blood-vessel to became sealed up by a clot, which will
prevent further loss of blood. If brandy is given, there is,
first, great risk of choking the patient; if that danger is
escaped and the brandy is swallowed and absorbed, the vessels
become relaxed and the heart recovers its force; hence the
ruptured vessel, if not sufficiently sealed by clot, may be
started again, and fatal hemorrhage result.
"The only _treatment_ which unskilled hands can adopt is to lay
the patient on his back on the floor or sofa with the head and
shoulders somewhat raised; to loosen all the dress round the
neck and body; to apply cold to the head and hot flannels or a
hot bottle to the feet and hands, or to soak them in hot mustard
and water, and to gently rub the arms and legs."--DR. J. J.
RIDGE.
Dr. Alfred Smee, surgeon to the Bank of England, says:--
"Give nothing by the mouth. Apply a stream of cold water to the
head. If the feet are cold apply warm cloths. If relief is not
soon obtained, apply hot fomentations to the abdomen, keeping
the head erect."
BED-SORES:--Some object to using alcohol even as an outward application.
Dr. Ridge recommends that when a patient is confined to bed the parts
pressed on be well washed every day with strong salt and water or alum
water, and carefully dried. _Glycerine of Tannin_ may then be applied.
If any redness appears, especially if any dusky patch is formed,
_collodion_ may be applied with a brush, and all pressure should be
taken off the part by a circular air-pillow or by a cushion; or small
bran or sand-bags may be made and carefully arranged. If the skin is
broken, _zinc_ or _resin ointment_ may be applied.
Some recommend finely powdered iodoform sprinkled over the surface of
the sore.
BOILS AND CARBUNCLE:--"In many cases these troubles result from
an overloaded condition of the system, which is the result of
taking too much food, or some error in diet. The boils are an
effort of nature to be rid of offending matter. In some cases
they are due to the use of impure water, or the presence of
sewer gas in the house. In others, overwork, or other
debilitating causes, may have produced the state of the
digestive organs which usually causes the boils. Carbuncle is,
essentially, an extensive boil.
"Apply iodine early or a piece of belladonna plaster. The diet
should be plain and unstimulating, condiments being avoided and
plenty of fresh vegetables taken, if possible. Fresh-air,
exercise and proper rest should be obtained, and late hours
avoided.
"Medical advice is requisite in carbuncle. The popular notion
that port wine is absolutely necessary is both erroneous and
mischievous."--RIDGE.
CATARRH:--Among the causes are repeated colds; errors in diet,
especially excess in the use of fats and sugar, and an inactive state of
the liver.
Cut off from your bill of fare all salted foods, avoid fats and
condiments; drink freely of pure water; live in the open-air and
sunshine as much as possible, taking much out-door exercise. Take a
cold sponge or towel bath every morning, beginning at the face and
finishing by plunging the feet into a foot-tub. Follow with vigorous
rubbing with a crash or Turkish towel. Those subject to sore throat
should hold the head over a basin of cold water and lave the neck with
the water for about two minutes. The writer was formerly subject to
frequent sore throats, but has had none for over two years, as she
believes, because of the adoption of this measure, together with the
towel bath every morning, summer and winter.
Care should be taken to avoid exposure to draughts, or any other means
which will produce liability to cold. Care in diet, good ventilation and
the morning cold bath are essential if a radical cure is desired. Local
measures, while giving relief, will not remove the predisposing causes.
Dr. Kellogg recommends saline solutions in the form of the nasal douche,
a teaspoonful of salt to a pint of soft water, adding twenty to thirty
drops of carbolic acid, if there is offensive odor, as a relief measure.
Sleeping in a poorly ventilated room is said to be one cause of catarrh.
_Hay Fever_ is a form of catarrh. The vapor bath is recommended as very
helpful in this trouble. _Nature Cure_ says that two vapor baths and a
two or three days' fast will cure any case of hay fever. The use of pork
and other clogging foods should be avoided by those afflicted with this
trouble. The bowels should be kept in good condition. If constipated,
the use of prunes, figs, grapes, apples and other such fruits will be
very beneficial; walking, and massage of the bowels, being added if the
fruits are not sufficient. No one able to walk should depend upon drugs
to relieve a constipated condition.
COLDS:--"If the bowels are constipated, the skin over-burdened
and clogged with bilious matter, and the lungs weak, it is as
easy to take cold as to roll off a log. If, on the contrary, the
lungs are well developed, and the respiratory power large,
providing abundant oxygen to keep bright the internal fires, the
colon clean, the skin daily washed, and the system hardened by
the cold bath, taking cold is next to impossible.
"The first remedial agent for a cold should be a copious enema.
Then open the pores of the skin by a hot bath; take a glass of
hot lemonade and go to bed."--_The New Hygiene._
CHILLS:--For chill, take a hot foot and hand bath, with mustard in the
water, 1/4 pound to a gallon; then go to bed in a well ventilated room.
Drink freely of hot lemonade or hot water. Catarrh, colds and hay fever
may all be effectually relieved by hot baths. Relief may be gained also
from inhaling the vapor from pine needles or hemlock leaves. Put them in
a bowl, pour boiling water over them, hold the face down over the bowl,
the head being covered, and inhale the vapor well up into the nostrils
and head. A few drops of hemlock oil in the hot water will do as well.
COUGHS AND HOARSENESS:--Boil flaxseed in 1 pint water, strain, add two
teaspoons honey, 1 ounce rock candy, and juice 3 lemons. Drink hot.
Also; roast a lemon till hot, cut, and squeeze on 3 ounces powdered
sugar.
COLIC:--This may arise from cold, or from error in diet. If the latter
it is desirable to induce vomiting. For the pain, apply hot flannels or
fomentations; drink hot water. In severe cases, sprinkle a little
turpentine on flannel, wrung from hot water, and apply to abdomen. Colic
resulting from the accumulation of fecal matter should be treated with
hot enemas until relieved. A hot hip-bath is sometimes necessary to
relief.
The colic of children and infants should never be treated with
alcoholics. In infants it generally arises from excessive or improper
feeding; care should be taken that the milk provided them is not sour.
In severe cases the babe should be immersed in warm water, keeping the
head above water, of course. This is also the best remedy in
convulsions. The hot bath, with a copious enema of warm water, has saved
the lives of many babes.
For adults, hot water, with a pinch of red pepper added, will do all
that brandy can do, and more.
CHOLERA:--Brandy has been considered by many a really necessary medicine
in cholera. The following is a discussion upon Alcohol in Cholera which
was held at the annual meeting of the British Medical Temperance
Association, in May, 1893, and is taken from the _Medical Pioneer_ of
June, 1893:--
"Dr. Richardson opened a discussion on Cholera in relation to
Alcohol. He said he would bring forward five points on the
subject.
1. The negligence among the people at large produced by alcohol
in the presence of a cholera epidemic. There was no doubt on the
part of any who had seen an epidemic of cholera as to the
mischief done by alcohol, apart from its action as a remedy.
People rush to the public houses and take it to ward off the
danger, or to relieve them when they begin to feel ill, and the
result is very bad morally. He had seen this in different
epidemics. Or people got in spirits to face the danger, and many
became intoxicated and less able to resist.
2. Its misuse by those affected. It was often given to cheer
them up and remove their fear and nervousness. In his opinion it
invariably produced mischief.
3. He was unable to find any physiological reason for giving it.
There was a constant drain of fluid, causing spasms and cramp,
both of the muscles and blood-vessels, and difficult circulation
through the lungs. Spasm may be relaxed by alcohol, but, on the
other hand, alcohol is exceedingly greedy of water, and so
increases the flux. But it also reduces animal temperature,
which is a strong feature of cholera, so much so that he could
almost diagnose cholera blindfold in the stage of collapse, by
the icy coldness.
4. Its uselessness as a remedy during the acute stage. He had
seen a great deal of cholera and never saw alcohol do any good
whatever. There was a temporary glow which passed away in a few
minutes, and then the evil it does in other ways was brought
out. Water was far better, even if cold. The College of
Physicians had given some instructions and ordered great care in
the administration of alcohol; this was not far enough, but good
as far as it went. The recoveries were best where the treatment
was simplest, such as external warmth with plenty of diluents.
He had given creasote largely.
5. Its injuriousness during the stage of reaction. The reactive
fever following collapse caused a great number of deaths. In
this stage alcohol was absolutely poisonous. He could recall
many such cases in which he had given alcohol through ignorance,
and always with disaster.
"Brigade-Surgeon Pringle said that when he went out to India he
thought alcohol was something to stand by, but he had soon found
out his mistake; he had himself suffered from it. He could
confirm what Dr. Richardson had said as to the demoralization
produced by alcohol to which men resort to keep up their
spirits, and men seized under these circumstances were in the
greatest danger. Nature effects a cure in many cases without
assistance, and often with wonderful rapidity. People apparently
dead and about to be buried, he had known to get up and recover.
When alcohol is given during collapse there is often no
absorption until reaction occurs, and then the quantity
accumulated speedily produces intoxication. It was the same with
opium: he had found pills unchanged in the stomach for hours. He
recommended hot drinks; he had tried every kind of medicine and
had little faith in it. The nursing was very important, and it
was important that the nurses should abstain.
"Dr. Morton said it was easy to see that on physiological
grounds alone, alcohol, with its strong affinity for water and
its tendency to lower temperature, could not be a useful drug in
the treatment of cholera collapse, and with its powers of
paralyzing vascular inhibition and checking elimination of
effete matter, could not be otherwise than harmful in the stage
of reaction. As these conclusions were corroborated by practical
experience he did not think members would hesitate to banish it
from their equipment against cholera.
"Dr. Ridge said it should be remembered that Doyen had made
experiments on guinea-pigs and had found they were proof against
cholera, unless they had previously had a dose of alcohol. This
explained why drunkards and hard drinkers were so much more
liable to have cholera, and have it badly as all observers
declared to be the case. Another reason might be that small
quantities of alcohol, such as would be found circulating in the
blood, favored the growth and multiplication of bacteria,
certainly those of decomposition, and probably those of cholera.
Hence, other things being equal, the abstainer had a great
advantage.
"Dr. Norman Kerr said that he had observed both in America and
Glasgow that not only notorious drunkards but free drinkers
suffered; abstainers were less liable unless they took
contaminated water, and the less liquid taken the less chance of
taking cholera; beer-drinkers often took more than abstainers.
The alcohol-drinker uses up more water from his blood and so has
less to flush out the system. Alcohol, given to a patient,
disguised his condition so that he might seem better though
really worse. Hence it is better and safer not to give any. The
doctors and nurses ought to be abstainers. A doctor after dinner
was more likely to take a roseate view of a case, looking at it
through an alcoholic pair of spectacles. Alcohol was not really
a stimulant, but a depressant, and this is a very depressing
disease; it was important to have our vital resisting power as
vigorous as possible. Hot water both relaxes and stimulates, and
the whole cry of the sufferer is for water. Many persons who
died in cholera did not die of the disease, but of the drugs
such as alcohol and opium. Acid drinks should be given, as the
bacilli could not live in acid mixtures. Cholera might come, but
he believed we were better prepared to meet it and to treat it.
"Surgeon-General Francis sent a communication which was read by
the Honorable Secretary. He said: 'Having had many opportunities
of treating cholera in various parts of India and amongst all
classes, I have no hesitation in affirming that alcohol in any
shape is one of the very worst remedies. Life is, so to speak,
paralyzed, and we give a remedy which, apparently stimulating,
is in reality, a paralyzer and therefore mischievous; the
death-rate might be considerably reduced provided alcohol were
rigidly excluded.'"
Dr. Norman Kerr in a valuable paper upon Cholera says:--
"The first thing is to get rid of the poison. How? By assisting
it out; but alcohol keeps it in by blocking the doors, just as
the doors were blocked in the terrible calamity at Sunderland
not long ago. The alcohol makes the heart and circulation labor
more. Alcohol not only retains the cholera poison, but retards
the action of the heart. Brandy and opium used to be employed,
but the records show that if the object had been to make cholera
as fatal as possible, that object was achieved by the
indiscriminate administration of brandy and opium. Better leave
the victim alone, and his chances of recovery will be greater
than if he have a thousand doctors, and as many nurses,
administering to him brandy and opium. Alcohol is especially
dangerous in the third stage, that of reactive fever, because it
adds to the fever. Then, alcohol is not only unsafe in the three
stages of genuine cholera, but especially unsafe in the
premonitory diarrhoea stage, which gives nearly every one
warning before they are attacked by genuine cholera. Brandy is
taken simply because it puts away the pain. If there are only
the pain and slight diarrhoea, speaking medically, it is all
right, but if there is anything behind the pain, it is all
wrong. After the alcohol, the mischief is going on, only the
patient does not know it, and valuable time is lost. All the
alcohol does is to deaden sensation. * * * * * Here I can
thoroughly recommend ice and iced water. I have always treated
cholera patients with these. Let them drink iced water to their
hearts' content; they can never drink too much; and this opinion
is fortified by that of Professor Maclean, of Netley. There is
no need of a substitute for brandy in cholera, because in
ordinary circumstances in that disease the action of a stimulant
is bad. Flushing of the blood is required, and water will do
it. Milk will not do it, because it is too thick--nothing but
pure, cold water, all the better if iced."
In 1893 Dr. Ernest Hart, editor of the _British Medical Journal_, read
an able paper upon Cholera before the American Medical Association. His
argument was that the introduction of such a substance as alcohol,
itself being a product of germ action, into a system already suffering
from the toxic influence of a ptomaine, could not be otherwise than
pernicious.
CHOLERA MORBUS:--Dr. Kellogg says: "The stomach should be washed
by means of the stomach-tube when possible. A large hot enema
should be given after each evacuation of the bowels. The
addition of tannin, one drachm to a quart of water, is
serviceable. When the vomited matter no longer shows signs of
food, efforts should be made to stop the vomiting. Give the
patient bits of ice the size of a bean to swallow every few
minutes. At the same time apply hot fomentations over the
stomach and bowels. If the patient suffer much from cramp, put
him into a warm bath. The first food taken should be
farinaceous. Oatmeal gruel, well boiled and strained, is
useful."
CHOLERA INFANTUM:--"Iced water may be given in very small
quantities every few minutes. Give the stomach entire rest for
at least twenty-four hours. There will be no suffering for want
of food as long as the stomach is in such a condition. Withhold
milk until nature has had time to rid the alimentary canal of
the poison-producing germs. White of egg dissolved in water is
an excellent preparation in these cases. Egg enemata may also be
advantageously used.
"Warm baths, the hot blanket pack when the surface is cold, and
the hot enema are all useful. Keep the child wrapped warmly.
"Great care should be taken in returning to the milk diet. The
milk should be thoroughly sterilized by boiling for half an
hour, and should be mixed with some barley water so as to avoid
the formation of large curds in the stomach. Cream, diluted with
water, may be used instead of milk."
CONSUMPTION.
Dr. Koch, the celebrated German microscopist, pronounces consumption
contagious, because during its progress a very minute bacterium is
developed which may be transmitted from one person to another.
It is said that a person with healthy lungs might daily breathe millions
of tubercle bacilli without any danger, and that the best preventive of
this disease is to live much in the open air, or if this is impossible
to spend ten or fifteen minutes a day in deep breathing exercises in the
open air. "Fresh-air and disease-germs are antagonistic."
Alcohol, chiefly in the form of whisky, was for many years considered of
great value in the treatment of consumption of the lungs. Indeed, it was
looked upon not only as a curative, but also as a prophylactic, or
preventive, of great service to those predisposed to this disease by
reason of narrow chest and weak lungs.
Sir Benjamin Ward Richardson was the first medical scientist who showed
plainly that alcohol, instead of being a preventive of consumption, is
really the sole cause of one type of this disease, the type now classed
under the head of "alcoholic phthisis." For this kind of phthisis there
is no hope of cure.
French physicians some years ago came to the conclusion that alcohol was
a prolific cause of tuberculosis and that the administration of
alcoholic liquors in tubercular troubles was a great error, and in the
International Anti-Tuberculosis Congress held in Paris in 1905, about
2000 medical scientists being present, they presented the following
resolution, which was adopted: "In view of the close connection between
alcoholism and tuberculosis, this Congress strongly emphasizes the
importance of combining the fight against tuberculosis with the struggle
against alcoholism."
Since that time a great crusade against tuberculosis has been carried on
by means of exhibits and lectures, and in connection with these, almost
invariably the people are warned against intemperance. For example, a
pamphlet sent out by the Boston Association for the Relief and Control
of Tuberculosis says: "Do not spend money for beer or other liquors, or
for quack medicines or 'cures.' Self-indulgence and intemperance are
very bad. Vice which weakens the strong kills the weak." The New York
State Charities Aid Association, working with the State Board of Health,
says in a pamphlet: "Patent medicines do not cure consumption. They are
usually alcoholic drinks in disguise, and the use of alcoholic drinks is
dangerous to the consumptive." At the great exhibit in Washington in
September, 1908, in connection with the International Anti-Tuberculosis
Congress different warnings against alcohol were upon the walls. Among
these was a large poster of white cloth on which was printed the
opinions on alcohol, in brief, of some of the best-known authorities on
consumption. The opinions as given on that poster are given here, with
others, in order to show the great change of sentiment regarding alcohol
and consumption which has come about within a few years:--
"Alcohol has never cured and never will cure tuberculosis. It
will either prevent or retard recovery. It is like a two-edged
weapon; on one side it poisons the system, and on the other it
ruins the stomach and thus prevents this organ from properly
digesting the necessary food."--S. A. KNOPF, M. D., New York,
Honorary Vice-President of the British Congress on Tuberculosis.
Dr. Knopf in his prize essay on "Tuberculosis and How to Combat
It," says in several places: "Avoid all alcoholic beverages." He
says also, "Alcohol should never be given to children even in
the smallest quantities."
"It is a recognized fact in the medical profession that the
habitual use of alcoholic drinks predisposes to tubercular
infection. It is also recognized, I think, by most physicians
that alcohol as a medicine is harmful to the tubercular
invalid."--FRANK BILLINGS, M. D., Chicago, Ill., Former
President American Medical Association.
"Alcoholic liquors are of damage to consumptives because they
tend to impair nutrition, disturb the action of the stomach, and
give a false strength to the invalid on which he is sure to
presume. Besides, we know that in countries where drinking
prevails most, the ravages of tuberculosis are most
marked."--EDWARD L. TRUDEAU, M. D., Adirondacks Sanitarium for
Consumptives, Saranac Lake, N. Y.
"In my judgment whisky should not be used by people who have
consumption, and in my practice I prohibit its use absolutely.
At the White Haven Sanitarium and Henry Phipps Institute we do
not use alcohol in any form in the treatment of our
patients."--LAWRENCE F. FLICK, M. D., Vice-President of the
National Association for the Study and Prevention of
Tuberculosis, Philadelphia, Pa.
"I do not feel that I can emphasize strongly enough the harm
that can be done by the use of alcohol in tuberculosis, and the
indiscriminate use of it certainly borders on the criminal. I do
not believe that any legitimate reason can be given for the
routine employment of alcohol in the treatment of tuberculosis.
I furthermore know of no emergency in which it is indispensable.
My experience with patients who have been accustomed to the use
of alcohol, especially moderately, is very unsatisfactory. They
seem to show an abnormally low resisting power to the tubercle
bacillus. The fact has been established that alcoholism is a
very potent factor in the causation of tuberculosis. I find it
not only unnecessary in treatment but believe it to be
contraindicated."--F. M. POTTENGER, M. D., Superintendent the
Pottenger Sanitarium for Diseases of the Lungs and Throat,
Monrovia, California.
"I have met with a small class of consumptive patients who could
take alcoholic liquors freely for a length of time, without
deranging either the stomach or the brain, and with a decided
amelioration of the pulmonary symptoms, and an arrest of the
emaciation. Some of these have actually increased in
_embonpoint_, and for three to six months were highly elated
with the hope that they were recovering. But truth compels me to
say that I have never seen a case in which this apparent
improvement under the influence of alcoholic drink was
permanent. On the contrary, even in those cases in which the
emaciation seems at first arrested, and the general symptoms
ameliorated, the physical signs do not undergo a corresponding
improvement; and after a few months the digestive function
becomes impaired; the emaciation begins to increase rapidly; and
in a short time the patient is fatally prostrated."--DR. NATHAN
S. DAVIS, SR., of Chicago.
"The use of whisky in this disease positively interferes with
digestion which must under all circumstances be kept as perfect
as possible in order that the patient may assimilate the food
which is so necessary to the upbuilding of the system and to
gain strength to fight the onslaught of the disease.
"Its constant use would not only interfere with digestion but
would have a tendency to create disease in other organs of the
body so that we therefore consider the use of whisky in
tuberculosis positively contraindicated.
"Wishing you success in your laudable campaign."--DR. M.
COLLINS, Superintendent National Jewish Hospital for
Consumptives, Denver, Colorado.
"It is difficult for many people to adapt themselves to a
methodical plan of life long enough to establish a permanent
cure in consumption. I have known many a young fellow with only
a slight trouble in his lungs to die in the Adirondacks more
from the effects of whisky than from the disease itself."--DR.
HENRY P. LOOMIS, of New York City, in a Lecture on Consumption.
(See page 232, of Handbook, on the Prevention of Tuberculosis.)
"The majority of our patients receive no medication whatsoever.
The stomach is rarely in condition to bear excessive medication,
and the promiscuous use of creosote and similar preparations is
to be condemned. Milk and raw eggs are the best articles of diet
in addition to a regular diet of simple food."--JAMES ALEXANDER
MILLER, M. D., of the Vanderbilt Clinic, New York. (From Medical
Record.)
"In my specialty, the treatment of pulmonary diseases, I rarely
prescribe alcohol in any form, and in the sanitaria with which I
have been connected it is the exception where alcohol in any
form is prescribed. I have advised against its use where such
has been the custom, believing that as a rule alcoholic liquors
do more harm than good in the treatment of this disease."--PROF.
VINCENT Y. BOWDITCH, M. D., Harvard Medical School, Boston.
"From personal experience in handling pulmonary tuberculosis,
not only at the Nordrach Ranch Sanitorium, for the past five
years, but in an active practice of thirteen years, I am more
than convinced that whisky and liquor, in any form, are
absolutely poisonous to the consumptive.
"Whenever we admit a patient to the Nordrach Ranch Sanitorium,
we ascertain whether the individual is an alcoholic or not; and
we invariably find that such an individual is lacking in
vitality enough to combat the disease. They may look fat and
strong, pulmonary tuberculosis usually makes quick work of them.
"It is also a noticeable fact, proven by various statistics,
that a very large percentage of alcoholics become tubercular;
and if we ever stamp out tuberculosis, we will also have to
stamp out intemperance.
"Trying to cure consumption with whisky is like trying to put
out a fire with kerosene. This is very easy to understand when
we stop to consider the nature of this disease. In the first
place, we have a very rapid heart's action, dating from the very
earliest manifestations of the disease. The pulse is often in
excess of 100, even in incipient cases, and if the stimulation
of alcohol is added, we have what might be called a 'runaway
heart'; and if there is one thing needed in the long combat
against tuberculosis, it is a good heart."--JOHN E. WHITE, M.
D., Medical Director Nordrach Ranch Sanitorium, Colorado
Springs, Colorado.
"You ask me my opinion as to the use of whisky in the treatment
of consumption. In reply permit me to say that I regard its use
in this disease as most universally pernicious."--PROF. CHARLES
G. STOCKTON, M. D., Buffalo Medical College, Buffalo, N. Y.
"It was formerly thought that alcohol was in some way
antagonistic to tuberculous disease, but the observations of
late years indicate clearly that the reverse is the case, and
that chronic drinkers are more liable to both acute and
pulmonary tuberculosis. It is probably altogether a question of
altered tissue soil, the alcohol lowering the vitality and
enabling the bacilli more readily to develop and grow."--DR.
OSLER, formerly Professor of Medicine in Johns Hopkins
University, Baltimore, Md., now of Oxford University, England.
"Upon investigation I found 38 per cent. of our male tubercular
patients were excessive users of alcohol, 56 per cent. moderate
users. From my study of the cases I am led to believe that in a
vast majority of these cases drink has been a large factor in
producing the disease, by exposure, lowering of vitality, etc. I
believe that alcohol has no place in the treatment of
tuberculosis. Many patients are deceived by the false strength
it gives them."--O. C. WILLHITE, M. D., Superintendent of Cook
County Hospital for Consumptives, Dunning, Ill.
"In tuberculosis there is a state of over-stimulation of the
circulatory system due to the toxins. The use of alcoholics
simply makes the condition worse. It reduces resistance and
makes the person more susceptible to the disease."--H. J.
BLANKMEYER, M. D., Sanatorium Gabriels, in the Adirondacks,
N. Y.
"The practice of taking alcoholics of any sort, and in any
quantity, over a considerable length of time, is certain to
produce more or less injury to a tubercular patient, and their
use by tubercular people cannot be too strongly condemned."--H.
S. GOODALL, M. D., Lake Kushaqua, N. Y.
Most of these opinions were written for the author of this book in
response to letters of inquiry. Are they not indicative of a day when
the medical profession will lay aside alcoholic liquors in the treatment
of all diseases? It is acknowledged that the past usage of giving whisky
and cod-liver oil to consumptives was an error; some day, it may be not
far distant, a larger acknowledgment may be made, and the medical use of
alcoholic liquors will be entirely a thing of the past.
Rev. J. M. Buckley, D.D., editor of _The Christian Advocate_, was in
early manhood considered an incurable consumptive. Being a man of great
will power and indomitable perseverance, he resolved to try the open-air
cure, together with the use of an inspirator. The result was perfect
restoration to health, so that, as is well known, he can be easily heard
by audiences of thousands at Chautauqua and other places where he is
greatly in request for lectures. He has written a pamphlet giving a full
history of his case. It can be obtained from Eaton & Mains, 150 Fifth
Avenue, New York, for fifty cents, and should be read by all
consumptives who have any "grit" in their composition.
Dr. Forrest, a hygienic physician, says:--
"What is to be done if the germs have already obtained lodgement
in the lungs? Increase the general nutrition of the body in
every way, and then the lungs can resist the inroads of the
disease. The first thing necessary to improve the nutrition of
the body is to stimulate the digestive and absorbent functions
of the stomach and intestines. Naturally then, you must throw
the so-called cough medicines out of the window. The drugs used
to stop a cough are sedatives. Now, no sedative or nauseant is
known that does not lock up the natural secretions and thus
lessen the digestive powers. The cough is nature's method of
expelling offending matter from the lungs and bronchial tubes.
It is infinitely better to have this stuff thrown out of the
lungs than retained there."
Keep the bowels clean is this physician's next recommendation.
Sweet cream is preferable to cod-liver oil as it is not so likely to
derange the stomach. Easily digested food is necessary, as the organs
of digestion are in weakened condition.
Again Dr. Forrest says:--
"The consumptive should live as much as possible in the open
air.
"Dr. Trudeau inoculated twelve rabbits with tubercle or
consumptive germs. Six of these he turned loose on an island
where they ran wild. The other six were kept confined in hutches
such as rabbits are usually kept in. Results--All the six
rabbits in the open air recovered from the inoculation and
remained well. Five of the confined rabbits died of tubercles in
the lungs and different parts of the body. The sixth was still
lingering, badly diseased, when the experiment was brought to a
close. Fresh air and exercise enabled the first six to overcome
the disease germs. Confinement gave full play to the disease in
the others.
"Now, you house lovers, sleepers in close bedrooms, people
afraid of cold air, you are the rabbits in the hutches. Beware,
lest the verdict be in your case, 'Died of tubercles in the
lungs.' If you are not able to leave your home, live with open
windows, day and night, summer and winter.
"Exercise systematically, especially those exercises,
accompanied by deep breathing, that open and strengthen the
lungs--exercises without fatigue.
"If you are hoping that some wonderful, mysterious drug has been
or will be discovered, a drug that will cure consumption without
your help, you are hoping against hope. Improved nutrition is
your salvation, and that must come through exercise, diet and
fresh air."
Dr. J. H. Kellogg, in his _Home Hand-Book of Hygiene and Medicine_,
recommends a salt sponge bath upon retiring, to arrest night sweats, or
sponging with hot water. He adds:--
"It is important that patients should know that the sweats are
greatly aggravated by opium in any form, and hence are increased
by cough mixtures of any sort which contain this drug. Very
simple remedies are often effective to relieve the most
distressing cough, such as gargling of water in the throat,
holding bits of ice in the mouth, taking occasional sips of
strong lemonade, and similar remedies. As a general rule,
patients run down and the disease progresses much more rapidly,
after beginning the use of opium in any form. Sometimes it is
best that the cough should be encouraged instead of being
repressed. When the patient expectorates very freely, the cough
is a necessary means of relieving the chest of matters which
would seriously interfere with the functions of the lungs if
retained, by filling up the bronchial tubes and air-cells. The
kind of cough needing relief is an irritable, ineffective cough,
unaccompanied by any considerable degree of expectoration. Loaf
sugar, honey or a mixture of honey and lemon juice, and other
simple, familiar remedies are often effective in relieving such
a cough. * * * * *
"It is perhaps needless to add that the numerous quack remedies
for consumption advertised in the newspapers are wholly without
merit. There is no known drug which will cure this disease, or
in any certain degree influence its progress. Numerous remedies
have been recommended as curative, but not one has thus far
stood the test of experience."
DISPLACEMENTS OF THE UTERUS:--These conditions are not among those for
which alcoholic liquors are likely to be advised by a physician, but
women frequently resort to Lydia Pinkham's Compound and other alcoholic
preparations in the vain hope of finding the relief so positively
promised in the nostrum advertisements. Women are sometimes seriously
injured by using the nostrums specially advised for uterine weaknesses,
for this reason: a drug which may be of service in an anaemic condition
of the womb may do much damage in an inflamed or engorged condition, yet
the nostrum vendors advise their preparations for all alike, without a
word of warning as to possible dangers.
Ordinary displacements may be recovered from by cleanliness of the parts
and by exercises which strengthen the muscles in the pelvic region. The
writer has known a considerable number of women who have been restored
to health by exercises after months, in some cases, and several years in
others, of weakness and misery. One of these women was a close relative
of a celebrated specialist in women's diseases. He said he could not do
any more for her, and gave permission for her to try the exercises,
which were given her by a well-equipped teacher of physical training.
There are three kinds of displacements: anteversion, retroversion, and
prolapsus. The causes of these troubles are various; lack of proper care
in child-bearing, miscarriages, heavy lifting, a hard fall, jumping out
of a carriage, straining, too violent exercise in gymnasium work, and
tight-lacing, also gradual weakening of the ligaments which sustain the
uterus in position.
An abdominal supporter should be worn constantly during the day for a
year or so, then left off gradually an hour or two at a time. It should
be worn during the second year whenever any extra work is to be done.
There is a supporter sold by the Battle Creek Sanitarium which is highly
recommended, but any physician can get one for a patient.
Perfect cleanliness is necessary. For this purpose a hot vaginal douche
should be taken two or three times a day. This douche should be made
astringent by adding to a pint of water a quarter ounce of alum or
tannin. The hot astringent injections tone up the lower supports of the
uterus, and cleanse the passage. The patient should remain in a
recumbent position for some hours after the douche if possible.
Considerable rest hastens a cure. Take the rest in the fresh air when
weather permits. Persistent use of sitz baths will be found helpful.
For prolapsus the simplest form of internal supporter is a small roll of
cotton. After the organ is carefully put into position this supporter
should be pressed up against the mouth of the womb, the patient
meanwhile lying upon her back. The ball of absorbent cotton should be
large enough to be retained in position, and should be saturated with a
weak solution of glycerine and alum or glycerine and tannin before being
applied. A piece of white cord should be tied firmly around the centre
of this tampon by which it may be removed. Remove before taking the
douche.
Persons who feel unable to purchase an elastic or other abdominal
supporter can make a substitute (not so good, but of considerable
service) from unbleached muslin made in the shape of the letter T, and
having the cloth double. It should go up to the waist and be made to
fit over the hips, then should be fastened firmly in front with
safety-pins, and the cross-piece be drawn up from the back and fastened
securely in front.
The daily exercises are the most important part of the treatment. They
must be begun gradually, and taken at greater length as strength is
gained. Those for prolapsus will be given first:--
The patient should lie upon a rug, or on a firm long sofa or couch. The
feet should be drawn up as close to the body as possible. Now lift the
lower part of the body so that the hips and lower portion of the trunk
will have no support but what comes from the feet and shoulders. Hold
this position for a minute or two (longer when able without much
fatigue). After a few minutes' rest repeat. This exercise may be
continued from twenty to thirty minutes, according to patient's
strength. The elevation of the hips in this exercise aids in the
restoration of the organ to its natural position. This exercise should
be continued daily, the number of times being increased as strength
increases.
A second exercise which is very helpful in prolapsus is to support the
body on the toes and elbows with the face downward, and the hips raised
as high as possible. Another exercise may be taken with an assistant;
the patient should lie face downward, supporting the body by the chest,
and keeping the limbs rigid while the assistant lifts the feet as high
as possible without hurting. These movements strengthen the abdominal
muscles and draw fresh blood to the weakened parts, and cause quickened
circulation in addition to restoring the displaced organ to natural
position. They should be taken at night just before retiring after a hot
douche. The bowels should be kept open by the free use of fruit. The
patient should sleep with the hips elevated as much as can be endured
without real discomfort and sit with the feet on a stool. When strength
sufficient is acquired the exercises for anteversion will be found
useful, and any other exercises which strengthen the abdominal muscles,
such as bending backward and forward, and sideways. Kneading and
percussing the abdomen by an osteopath or masseur strengthens, and also
relieves constipation. Rest during the day should be taken with the feet
higher than the head.
Prolapsus due to laceration in child-birth may require a surgical
operation.
In case of antiflexions the first exercise given for prolapsus should be
taken daily. (The advice for the prolapsus treatment and the exercises
are taken from the writings of Dr. J. H. Kellogg, superintendent of the
Battle Creek Sanitarium.).
ANTEVERSION:--Persons suffering from anteversion or retroversion should
sleep without pillows under the head, and lie flat upon the back; they
should sit with the feet as high as convenient and avoid high seats
which hinder the feet from touching the floor. They should discard
corsets and tight stocking supporters which push or hold down the organs
which need to be replaced. Stocking supporters should be fastened over
the hips and comfort waists can be bought in place of corsets.
It is well to have an attendant to prepare weak patients for first
exercises in all uterine troubles by the use of towels wrung from hot
water applied to the back and abdomen for a few minutes to relax the
muscles, or a hot water bottle, or hot salt bag may be used. Then, with
the patient lying with head low, the attendant should give the abdomen
and small of the back a thorough rubbing or kneading for ten minutes or
less according to strength of patient. Olive oil can be used on the hand
in the rubbing.
FIRST EXERCISE FOR ANTEVERSION:--Lie on bed or rug; fold arms on chest;
hold trunk of body still; stretch legs, and hold the position about half
a minute, then relax at the knee and ankle. Then point the toes down and
stretch upper leg muscles; relax; then stretch under leg muscles by
stretching heel out. The patient will feel the exercise as far as the
shoulders, and should be careful not to lift the body from the floor at
first. When patient can hold stretching exercise for a minute then lift
first the right, then the left leg, and take same exercise until the
person can give a quick little kick for, say, twelve times, as the leg
is straightened.
SECOND EXERCISE:--Lying on the back, stretch to full length; move the
left leg out at the side, then up and back to position, forming a
semi-circle, keeping muscles tense throughout. Then move right leg out
at the side--left--stretch toes long--relax--stretch heel--, lift a
little higher and bring back to place in a circle and rest. Same with
left leg and then both together. Few people can do this easily at first,
the weight of the legs is too much for the weak muscles at the back; but
some one can hold the foot at first. When the patient can do this easily
without bringing on any pain or ache, she may sit in a low chair and
take arm lifting exercises.
Raise both arms out at the sides, then slowly raise them up close to the
head and consciously lift all the organs of the body up, relax, and
lower arms down front and repeat slowly, six or ten times at first,
until for five minutes the patient can do this sitting. Then take it
standing for ten minutes or more. Stand with feet wide apart. Dr.
Anderson says, "A woman who will do this twenty times each day can never
have anteversion, if she dresses properly, for it lifts the organs in
place each time." It lifts the chest and abdomen up, and brings a
feeling of exhilaration if done in the open air.
After the patient has taken exercises for five or six weeks she may lie
flat on the back, fold arms and raise body up to sitting position
without unfolding arms. Then turn on right side and do the same, then on
left side and do the same. This is fine for back and abdomen muscles.
Anteversion needs the Rest Cure, and resting with the body in a position
in which nature can right things is an important thing to remember. Rest
always after exercise, either with a pillow under the knees or with the
legs hanging over a low foot-board, or lying on a couch with the feet
higher than the head. Exercise will relax the muscles and call for
blood which will revitalize and stimulate the weakened conditions. A
woman with this trouble should be careful about bending quickly over, or
climbing stairs, until she gains strength.
RETROVERSION:--Place the patient with face downward on bed or mat and
with a small pillow under the lower part of the abdomen. Relax the
muscles by applying a hot towel, hot salt bag or hot water-bottle just
below the small of the back, and lower part of the abdomen for ten or
fifteen minutes. (Hot salt bags are most effective and are easy to
handle.) Then rub the back briskly with a circular movement; if tender
in front, do not rub the abdomen. The circulation will gradually carry
away any inflammation as soon as the muscles reach a normal condition,
though kneading of back and abdomen, using sweet oil on the hand, is
helpful if the patient can bear it.
The patient must remember that these conditions have been months in
coming and only painstaking work and time can restore the weakened
organs. The manner of dress is very important; loose, comfortable
clothing must be worn. Sleep with the face down as much as possible;
nature will correct itself, if allowed, many times.
FIRST EXERCISE:--Fold arms under forehead and draw right knee up close
to body and hold two minutes (unless painful) and slowly straighten, and
stretch very slowly. Do the same with the left leg until the patient can
repeat the exercise twelve times with each leg and hold five minutes
instead of two, with the knee close to the body. It will probably take
two weeks to gain strength for this. After that time raise the body up
on hands, and move legs just as a baby does when creeping, except that
the patient only follows the movement and does not move along.
SECOND EXERCISE:--Patient take sitting position on floor and clasp hands
under knees, and bring knees up, so that chin and knees meet and hold.
Then straighten legs, slide hands toward the heels as far as hands can
reach, (stretch hands toward heels); make a continuous movement of this.
THIRD EXERCISE:--Sit on floor. Place the hands on floor at sides, legs
straight out in front, lift the body from the floor with the arms, up
and down. This is a fine exercise for raising up the misplaced organs.
FOURTH EXERCISE:--Place the patient flat on back and push the body up to
sitting position with hands quite far back and palms down, recline
again, up and down until arms and back are very tired. Then sit up, legs
straight in front, raise the body from the floor, (an inch) and move
backward, resting weight on hands, then move over on knees as at first
exercise and creep, then sit up and move backward again. These will take
a month to perfect. Begin by exercising five minutes and gradually work
up to half an hour, rest between, always. The patient must have the
right mental attitude, must think that she is trying to replace the
uterus by lifting it to its natural position. The exercises must not be
lazily done.
Sitting in a tub of hot water is most helpful where there is much
tenderness, or inflammation. Witch-hazel in hot water douches or a weak
solution of hot salt water is a wonderful tonic in some cases.
EXERCISE FOR REPLACING UTERUS TO BE TAKEN JUST BEFORE RETIRING:--Kneel
on the bed; bend forward until the chest is touching the bed and the
hips are elevated as high as possible. The inlet of the vagina should
then be opened so as to admit air. As soon as the air enters the womb
falls into position. Lie down at once and give nature a chance to regain
strength while you sleep.
The tampon soaked in glycerine and alum, and the douches of hot water,
in which a little alum is dissolved, are both of great service in
controlling the flooding which so frequently accompanies change of life
and miscarriages. (Exercises for anteversion and retroversion supplied
by a successful teacher of such work.)
The writer of this book asked a well-known medical writer why physicians
do not advise exercises for the cure of displacements instead of
operations. He said it is because women are not willing to do anything
to help themselves. They expect the physician to cure them, and the only
way a physician can "cure" is to operate. Sensible women, however, will
be glad to practice helpful exercises.
DEBILITY:--"The debility of convalescence requires fresh air,
easily digested food, the avoidance of over-exertion, with a
gradually increasing amount of exercise. Such debility is only
aggravated by alcohol, though it may for a time be partially
masked thereby. Milk, eggs, fresh fruit and farinaceous
articles are the best foods. General debility without obvious
cause, may be treated by cold or tepid bathing. Salt added to
the bath is helpful. Change of air is a good tonic. Port wine
and other alcoholics while giving a false sensation of increased
vigor, really _reduce the tone of the pulse_, and therefore tend
to enfeeble the system. Alcohol is a relaxant, _not a tonic_."
DEPRESSION OF SPIRITS:--"Learn the Delsarte exercise for the
'blues,' and practice them daily. Hot air baths. Avoid rich
food. Take out-door exercise."
DIARRHOEA:--"This is a symptom of the presence of an irritant
of which the stomach is trying to be rid. Do not arrest it
prematurely, but assist it. If it persists, arrowroot, or corn
starch, or flour, mixed with cold water to the consistency of
cream may be taken, a tablespoonful at a time. 2. Bread charcoal
with cold milk. 3. A tablespoonful of cinnamon water with a
teaspoonful of lime water, mixed, every one, two or three hours.
Smaller dose for a child. Diet should be confined to toast, milk
toast, milk, cold or boiled. Tea, broth, meat, etc., are sure to
renew the trouble. Diarrhoea in infants is generally due to
errors in feeding, either over-feeding or the use of improper
kinds of food. Boiled milk thickened with flour is a simple
remedy in light cases. Alcoholics are utterly unnecessary in
diarrhoea, and to order them for young children is quite
wrong. A full enema of water, as hot as can be borne, will
remove offending substances from the bowels.
"Beware of diarrhoea medicines containing opium in any form.
They are unnecessary and dangerous, particularly for young
children."
DYSENTERY:--"At the beginning of the disease the stomach should
be relieved by the use of a large warm-water emetic. The
quantity of food should be restricted to the smallest amount
compatible with comfort. Ripe fruits, especially grapes, and
most stewed fruits, may be used in abundance to keep the bowels
regular. Salads, spices and other condiments, fats and fried
foods should be strictly avoided, together with tea, coffee,
alcoholics and all other narcotics.
"The diet should consist chiefly of simple soups, well boiled
oatmeal gruel, egg beaten with water or milk, and similar foods.
In many cases regulation of the diet is sufficient. Either the
hot or the cold enema may be employed.
"The use of opium, which is exceedingly common in this disease,
is not advisable, as it produces a feverish condition of the
system, decidedly prejudicial to recovery. Herroner, an eminent
German physician, very strongly discourages the use of opium in
this disease."--DR. J. H. KELLOGG.
DYSPEPSIA:--"It is commonly supposed that a little good whisky
or brandy aids digestion, while on the contrary it has been
proved conclusively by observing the processes of digestion upon
persons who have fistula of the stomach, or by evacuating the
contents of the stomach by means of a stomach-pump about an hour
after taking a meal--in one instance after taking an ounce of
alcohol, and in another where no alcohol was taken--that alcohol
coagulates the albuminoids, throws down the pepsin, decreases
the acidity (the combined chlorin and free hydrochloric acid),
and increases the fixed chlorids. Any one can make the
observation upon himself, that a meal taken without alcohol is
more quickly followed by hunger than one with it.
"Blumenau says: 'On the whole, alcohol manifests a decidedly
unfavorable influence on the course of normal digestion even
when ingested in relatively small quantities, and impairs the
normal digestive functions.'
"Dr. Chittenden, professor of physiologic chemistry in Yale
College, as a result of some investigations made by himself and
Dr. Mendel, states in the _American Journal of Medical
Sciences_, that he finds that as small a quantity as three per
cent. of sherry, porter, or beer lessens the activity of the
digestive powers."--_Bulletin of A. M. T. A._
"It should be observed that doses of alcohol which have no
appreciable effect in delaying digestion, are so small as to be
practically useless for any beneficial action."--_Medical
Pioneer._
One doctor writes:--
"What makes dyspepsia so hard to cure? This very alcohol taking.
The best cure is to refuse all alcoholic drinks, at meals and
all other times, and drink nothing but water."
The causes of dyspepsia are various; errors of diet being the most
common. Others are mental worry, care and anxiety, and the use of drugs.
An eminent writer upon this disease says:
"My main object in the treatment is to prevent the sufferers
from resorting to drugs, which in such cases, not only produce
their own morbid conditions, but also confirm those already
existing.
"The extensive and often habitual use of alkalies for acidity,
of purgatives for constipation, nervines and opiates for
sleeplessness, and after-dinner pills to goad into action the
lagging stomach, has been a potent factor in the production of a
large class of most inveterate dyspepsias."
Underdone bread, cake, and pie, are unfit for any stomach, yet are seen
upon many tables. "Breakfast foods," cooked for ten or twenty minutes,
are also dyspepsia producers. All breads, cakes, pies and cereals,
require thorough cooking to fit them for digestion. Most cereals are
better for supper than for breakfast, as they should be cooked in a
double boiler for several hours. A young man, troubled with dyspepsia,
learned to his amazement that the oatmeal, which he supposed was his
best food, had much to do with the giddiness which often overcame him.
He was advised to use dry foods, such as toast, zwieback and shredded
wheat. This diet, together with the abandonment of nostrums, led to a
cure. Zwieback is bread sliced, and dried in a moderate oven until light
brown. Whole wheat bread is best. It is very delicious and is quite
easily digested. In the case of the young man, it is probable that the
difficulty with the oatmeal was the lack of sufficient cooking. Oatmeal
made into gruel, well cooked, and diluted with a large quantity of
scalded milk is easy of digestion.
Eating between meals, and excess in eating, lead to stomach derangement.
"The best remedy for acidity of the stomach is hot-water
drinking. Two or three glasses should be taken as hot as can be
sipped, one hour before each meal, and half an hour before going
to bed. The effect of the hot water is to wash out the stomach,
and so remove any fermenting remains of the previous meal.
Heartburn may be treated the same as acidity."
Persons troubled with slow digestion are better to eat only two meals a
day. The writer has personal knowledge of a goodly number of women who
have been benefited wonderfully by adopting the two meal a day plan.
Some persons, much troubled with dyspepsia, have adopted the plan of
prolonged fasting advocated by Dr. Dewey, and testify to a cure by this
method. While heroic, it is certainly more rational than drug treatment.
For acute dyspepsia a fast is requisite.
All that alcoholics can do for dyspepsia is to allay the uneasy
sensations for a time, while adding to the trouble. It has been
abundantly proved that alcohol must pass from the stomach before
digestion can begin.
Dr. Ridge says:--
"Many cases which seem to be relieved by the use of beer are
really benefited by the hop, or other bitter, which the ale or
beer contains. _Hop tea_ is a useful stomachic, and a quarter of
a pint, or half that quantity, may be taken cold. It is made in
the same way as tea, using a handful of hops to a pint of
boiling water. Make fresh every day."
Dr. Kellogg says:--
"In cases of chronic dyspepsia the use of alcohol seems to be
particularly deleterious, although not infrequently prescribed,
if not in the form of alcohol or ordinary alcoholic liquors, in
the form of some so-called 'bitters,' 'elixir' or 'cordial.'
Nothing could be further removed from the truth than the popular
notion that alcohol, at least in the form of certain wines, is
helpful to digestion. Roberts showed, years ago, that alcohol
even in small doses, diminishes the activity of the stomach in
the digestion of proteids. Gluzinski showed, ten years ago, that
alcohol causes an arrest in the secretion of pepsin, and also of
its action upon food. Wolff showed that the habitual use of
alcohol produces disorder of the stomach to such a degree as to
render it incapable of responding to the normal excitation of
the food. Hugounencq found that all wines, without exception,
prevent the action of pepsin upon proteids. The most harmful are
those which contain large quantities of alcohol, cream of tartar
or coloring matter. Wines often contain coloring matters which
at once completely arrest digestion, such as methylin blue and
fuchsin.
"A few years ago I made a series of experiments in which I
administered alcohol in various forms with a test meal, noting
the effect upon the stomach fluid as determined by the accurate
chemic examination of the method of Hayem and Winter. The result
of these experiments I reported at the 1893 meeting of the
American Medical Temperance Association. The subject of
experiment was a healthy young man whose stomach was doing a
slight excess of work, the amount of combined chlorin being
nearly fifty per cent. above normal, although the amount of free
hydrochloric acid was normal in quantity. Four ounces of claret
with the ordinary test meal reduced the free hydrochloric acid
from 28 milligrams per 100 c. c. of stomach fluid to zero, and
the combined chlorin from .270 to .125. In the same case the
administration of two ounces of brandy with the ordinary test
meal reduced the combined chlorin to .035, scarcely more than
one eighth of the original amount, the free hydrochloric acid
remaining at zero. Thus it appears that four ounces of claret
produced marked hypopepsia in a case of moderate hyperpepsia,
whereas two ounces of brandy produced practically apepsia."
FAINTING OR SYNCOPE:--The following letter from the late Sir B. W.
Richardson was addressed to a lady who had sought the great physician's
advice on the subject:--
"25 Manchester Square, W., July 18, 1896.
"DEAR MADAM: There is no substance which acts as a substitute
for alcohol, nor is anything like it wanted. The human body is a
water engine, as I have often described it, and alcohol plays no
part in its natural motion. The idea that when it begins to
fail, a stimulant has to be called for, springs merely from
habit, and if, whenever any of the symptoms of fainting you
speak of occur, the person merely lies down on the side or back
and drinks a glass of hot water, or hot milk and water, all that
can be done is done. In the London Temperance Hospital I have
been treating the sick for diseases of all kinds and during all
stages, and have never administered a minim of alcohol, or any
substitute for it, and we have got on better than when
I--feeling it at all times at command--made use of it in the
ordinary way.
"I am, dear Madam, faithfully yours,
"B. W. RICHARDSON."
TREATMENT:--"Lay the patient down in a current of air with the
feet raised higher than the head, preferably on one side in case
of sickness occurring, or bend the head down to the knees, to
restore the flow of blood to the brain. Loosen all clothing. Rub
the limbs, chest and over the heart with the hand or a rough
towel. Sprinkle cold water on the head and face. Smell ammonia,
strong vinegar, smelling salts or any pungent odor. Put hot
bottles to the feet, and in severe cases a mustard plaster over
the heart. Sip hot milk, hot water, hot tea, hot black coffee,
beef tea or a meat essence. Crowding round the patient and all
excitement should be avoided. In 999 cases out of 1,000, no
medicine is necessary.
"Faintness often proceeds from indigestion, flatulence inducing
pressure on the heart."
FAINTNESS, WEAKNESS, EXHAUSTION, FATIGUE:--"The truth is that
for simple weakness, faintness, exhaustion, fatigue, cold or
wet, the best remedies are simple fresh air, pure water,
digestible food and rest. These are nature's restoratives, and
the sooner both physicians and people learn to rely upon them
instead of upon drugs the better it will be for all parties. And
as the effect of alcoholic liquors are directly depressing to
the strength and activity of all the natural functions and
processes of life, as shown by the most varied and scientific
investigations, it is important that this fact be taught to both
doctors and people everywhere."--DR. N. S. DAVIS.
FITS:--"Whether the fit be apoplexy or epilepsy all alcoholics
are extremely bad, both at the time and afterwards. Alcohol, the
'genius of degeneration,' is the chief cause of apoplexy, and
also a cause of epilepsy, especially when taken in the form of
beer. It diminishes the tone of the arteries and blood-vessels,
and thus tends to cause, aggravate and maintain a congested
state of the capillaries throughout the whole body. In the
treatment of epilepsy, therefore, neither alcohol nor any
so-called substitute should be given. * * * * *
"In the convulsions of children alcohol is equally
injurious."--DR. RIDGE.
FLATULENCE:--"Many uneasy sensations or pains, even in distant
parts of the body, are due to wind in the bowels, resulting from
indigestion. Asthma, cramps, depression of spirits, faintness,
giddiness, hiccough, prostration, sinking sensations and
sleeplessness, are all frequently due to the same cause. The
diet needs careful attention where there is much flatulence; tea
is often a cause. Charcoal biscuits are useful in some cases;
lemon juice in others. Fluid Magnesia may be taken. Watch for
the cause and remove it."
HEADACHE:--_The New Hygiene_ says: "This is the manifestation of
a deeper-seated trouble, usually in the stomach. The use of
stimulants is a sure promoter of headache. All users of
alcoholic liquors are, I believe, subject to headache, and it is
also a sure result of overindulgence in tea and coffee.
"To prevent the attacks, live regularly, avoid late hours and
excessive brain work; avoid tea, coffee and alcoholic beverages,
also sweets of all kinds, including sauces and pastries, and
anything fried in fat. Eat plenty of good, plain food, including
fruit, especially oranges. Eat none late at night. Exercise
regularly in such a way as to bring all the muscles into play,
at least once a day.
"To relieve an attack flush the colon.
"Headaches, which so largely result from the retention of impure
matter in the body, will be cured if a good quantity, say two or
three glasses, of hot water be drank in the morning or at night,
and then the next regular meal omitted, so that an interval of
house-cleaning can be had before other material is moved
in."--_Life and Health._
"Avoid pills and powders. Persons suffering from headache need
to be warned against taking remedies that contain opium and
alcohol, and also against the use of a recent popular remedy,
usually called a 'white powder' or 'white tablet.' They take the
latter readily because the druggist or physician says it
contains no opium. This is true, but it is one of the lately
discovered coal tar preparations (anti-febrine, acetanilid,
etc.) and is very depressing to the human system. Headache is
usually a symptom of trouble somewhere else, often in the
alimentary canal, an overloaded stomach, constipation, or tight
clothing. Learn the cause and remove that, and the headache will
disappear."--DR. H. J. HALL, Franklin, Ind.
"Gentle massage is helpful and the use of cold compresses. Lack
of sufficient sleep will cause headache. Women often bring on
nervous headache by overwork and worry."
HEMORRHAGE:--"Never give alcohol in a case of profuse
hemorrhage. The faint feeling, or irresistible inclination to
lie down is nature's own method of circumventing the danger, by
quieting the circulation and lessening the expulsive force of
the heart, thus favoring the formation of clot at the site of
the injury."--_Clinique._
"For uterine hemorrhage an emetic to induce vomiting is the best
cure."--Dr. Higginbotham in _British Medical Journal_.
"If the faint is dispelled too quickly, and the blood-vessels
are relaxed by alcohol, or the heart aroused to energetic action
by any remedy, the hemorrhage may recommence, and may prove
fatal. Quiet, the application of cold, pressure, the elevation
of the wound where possible, and the absence of stimulants, are
the cardinal points of treatment in most cases."--DR. RIDGE.
"If then, it seems absolutely necessary to rouse a person out of
a dead faint, what can be done? Swallowing is out of the
question, lest the patient choke. The head must be laid low,
and the face and chest flapped with a cold wet cloth, or
alternately with hot wet cloths; smelling salts (not too strong)
may be applied to the nose.
"When the faint has been recovered from, but the hemorrhage
continues so much that it is feared another faint may occur,
and, perhaps, be fatal, it may be warded off by drinking any hot
liquid; if Liebig's extract of meat, or strong beef tea, is at
hand and can be given hot, there is nothing better."
HEART DISEASE:--Dr. Ridge says: "I trench here on a delicate
subject, because, when there is real disease of the heart,
medical advice will of course have been obtained, and very
probably a doctor may have said that some alcoholic liquor is
essential. There are, also, several different forms of heart
disease which require altogether different treatment, and only a
physician can tell the difference, or appreciate the necessity
for the particular treatment required. But it may be pointed out
that alcohol is utterly unable to 'strengthen' the heart, or
give tone to the blood-vessels, or to the system at large.
"The alteration in the pulse due to alcohol is chiefly owing to
its paralyzing action on the blood-vessels, and when they are
too contracted, and thereby cause the weakened heart to labor
too much, the alcohol will give relief for the time. But we have
in nitrite of amyl, a fluid which will act more quickly and more
powerfully; but this must not be employed without medical
direction. It is very useful in cases of _angina pectoris_, or
_breast pang_, but is rarely required in the majority of cases
in which the valves of the heart are diseased. The paralyzing
action of alcohol is not generally produced by less than half a
wine-glassful of brandy or whisky, or twice that quantity of
wine, and often much more is required. The relief to uneasy
sensations which much smaller quantities sometimes produce is
due to their anaesthetic or benumbing action, by which the nerves
of the patient are rendered less sensible, although the danger
is by no means diminished. * * * *
"The only sensible way to avert the evil consequences of heart
disease is to strengthen the heart, and that is to be done by
strengthening the body generally. The amount of exercise, the
kind of baths, etc., which should be taken, have to be modified
in accordance with the nature of the case. If these natural
health-giving measures cannot be employed nothing is an
effectual substitute.
"_Weak_ or _feeble heart_ is a common complaint, and is as
ordinary an excuse for resorting to alcoholic liquors as
'Timothy's stomach.' If there is no organic disease; if the
valves of the heart are healthy and act properly, all anxiety on
this point may be entirely banished. The slow pulse, the feeble
pulse, the cold feet, the want of energy, these are not to be
got rid of by such a mere temporary agent as alcohol, even if
relief can be thus obtained from day to day. The constant
application of alcohol to the tissues of the body alters them
gradually by its chemical action. In addition to this, the
balance of the nervous system is altered, an unnatural condition
is produced, and the unhappy patient becomes more liable to
disease and more easily succumbs when attacked.
"Many of these 'feeble hearts' mean too little exercise, very
often also, too much or improper food and drink.
"The best remedies are cold sponging (according to the season);
avoidance of coddling; plain, wholesome food; abstinence from
tea, hot drinks and condiments; regular out-of-doors exercise
and all similar true _tonic_ measures."
Dr. Kellogg says:--
"Persons subject to attacks of _angina pectoris_ should carry
with them a small bottle containing a sponge saturated with
nitrite of amyl, and place it to the nose when necessary.
"Sympathetic palpitation may be relieved by bending the head
downward, allowing the arms to hang down. The effect of this
measure is increased by holding the breath a few seconds while
bending over. Another ready means of relief is to press strongly
upon the large arteries on either side of the neck.
"Palpitation of the heart is often mistaken for real organic
disease of the organ. * * * * * A careful regulation of the diet
is in most cases all that is necessary to effect a cure."
Dr. Edmunds, of London, was asked during a medical discussion what he
thought of the use of alcohol in heart disease. His answer is embodied
in the following:--
"With regard to the use of brandy in cases of heart disease, he
was convinced it was a mistake to use it in such cases. There
were many forms of heart disease, but the most common kind arose
from the heart being too fat. Excess of fat debilitated the
heart and injured its working, just as a piece of wax attached
to a tuning fork would impair its usefulness. In such cases he
dieted his patients in order to reduce their weight. Every dose
of brandy taken for heart disease increased the evil. The moment
brandy was taken for heart disease, or any other chronic
complaint of a similar kind, the disease was increased. If
doctors recommended alcohol to their patients, he had been asked
what abstainers should do. In such cases, as had been suggested,
he thought the patients might ask what the alcohol was to do for
them, and if the reply was not satisfactory, they should get
another doctor."
Dr. T. D. Crothers, of Hartford, Conn., has deduced some valuable facts
from his experiments with the sphygmograph, upon the action of the
heart. He has found by repeated experiments that while alcohol
apparently increases the force and volume of the heart's action, the
irregular tracings of the sphygmograph show that the real vital force
is diminished, and hence its apparent stimulating power is deceptive.
Dr. C. W. Chapman, of the National Hospital for Diseases of the Heart,
wrote in the _Lancet_:--
"The very thing (alcohol) which they supposed had kept their
heart going was responsible for many of its difficulties."
Of cases of palpitation and irregularity caused by business anxieties or
indigestion, he said:--
"To give alcohol is only to add fuel to the fire."
HEART FAILURE:--"In cases of cardiac weakness, the thing needed
is not simply an increased rate of movement of the heart, or an
increased volume of the pulse, but an increased movement of the
blood current throughout the entire system. In the application
of any agent for the purpose of affording relief in a condition
of this kind, the peripheral heart as well as the central organ
must be taken into consideration. In fact, the whole circulatory
system must be regarded as one. The heart and the arteries are
composed of essentially the same kind of tissue, and have
practically the same functions. The arteries as well as the
heart are capable of contracting.
"Both the heart and the arteries are controlled by excitory and
inhibitory nerves. These two classes of nerves are kindred in
structure and in origin, the vagus and the vasodilators being
medullated, while the accelerators of the heart and the
vasoconstrictors of the arteries are non-medullated and pass
through the sympathetic ganglia on the way to their
distribution.
"Winternitz and other therapeutists have frequently called
attention to the value of cold as a cardiac stimulant or tonic.
The tonic effect of this agent is greater than that of any
medicinal agent which can be administered. The cold compress
applied over the cardiac area of the chest may well replace
alcohol as a heart tonic. The thing necessary to encourage the
heart's action is not merely relaxation of the peripheral
vessels, but, as Winternitz has shown, increased activity of the
peripheral circulation in the skin, muscles and elsewhere.
Alcohol paralyzes the vasoconstrictors, and so dilates the small
vessels and lessens the resistance of the heart action; but at
the same time it lessens the activity of the nerve centres which
control the heart, diminishes the power of the heart muscle, and
lessens that rhythmical activity of the small vessels whereby
the circulation is so efficiently aided at that portion of the
blood circuit most remote from the heart. A continuous cold
application applied to that portion of the chest overlying the
heart stimulates the nerves controlling the walls of the
vessels, and at the same time energizes the corresponding
cardiac nerves. It is wise to remember that the vasoconstrictor
nerves are one in kind with the excitor nerves of the heart,
while the vasodilators are in like manner associated with the
vagus. With this in mind, it is clear that while alcohol
paralyzes the vasoconstrictors, it at the same time weakens the
nerves which initiate and maintain the activity of the heart;
while, on the other hand, cold excites to activity those nerves
which produce the opposite effect.
"The apparent increase of strength which follows the
administration of alcohol in cases of cardiac weakness is
delusive. There is increased volume of the pulse for the reason
that the small arteries and capillaries are dilated, but this
apparent improvement in cardiac action is very evanescent. This
is a natural result of the fact that while the heart is relieved
momentarily by sudden dilation of the peripheral vessels, the
accumulation of the blood in the venous system, through the loss
of the normal activity of the peripheral heart, gradually raises
the resistance by increasing the amount of blood which has to be
pushed along in the venous system. This loss of the action of
the peripheral heart more than counterbalances the temporary
relief secured by the paralysis of the vasoconstrictors.
"Thermic applications, general and local, may safely be affirmed
to be the true physiological heart tonic. In the employment of
the cold pericardial compress as a heart tonic, the application
should generally be continued not more than half an hour at a
time, and its use may be alternated with general cold
applications to the surface. A cold towel rub, or the cold trunk
pack is the best form for application if the patient is very
feeble.
"The cold towel rub is applied thus: wring a towel as dry as
possible out of very cold water, and spread it quickly and
evenly over the surface; rub vigorously outside until the skin
begins to feel warm; then remove, dry the moistened surface, rub
until it glows, and make the same application to another part;
and so on until the whole surface of the body has been gone
over. The procedure should be rapid and vigorous.
"If the cold trunk pack is employed, a sheet of not more than
one thickness should be wrung as dry as possible out of very
cold water, and wrapped quickly about the body, after first
dipping the hands in water, and rubbing the trunk vigorously. In
cases of extreme cardiac weakness, very cold and very hot
applications may be alternately applied over the region of the
heart. The duration of the hot and cold applications should be
about fifteen seconds each.
"Any one who has ever witnessed the marvelous effects of
applications of this sort in reviving a flagging heart will
never doubt their efficacy, and will have no occasion to resort
to alcohol, or any other intoxicant, to stimulate a flagging
heart. The writer has employed these measures for stimulating
the heart for more than twenty years, and might cite hundreds of
instances in which their efficiency has been demonstrated. They
are applicable not only to the cardiac depression encountered in
the adynamic stage of typhoid and other fevers, but in cases of
heart failure from hemorrhage, of surgical shock, collapse under
chloroform or ether, opium poisoning, coal gas asphyxia,
drowning, etc."--Dr. J. H. Kellogg, in _Bulletin of the A. M. T.
A._, Jan., 1899.
Dr. N. S. Davis tells of a case of threatened collapse where he was
called in consultation. Patient was in a small, unventilated room.
"It was easy to see that what she needed was fresh air in her
lungs. Instead of giving alcohol in any form she was moved into
a large, well-ventilated room. All symptoms of 'heart failure'
disappeared. Had she begun to take whisky or brandy, physician
and friends would have attributed her recovery to that, when in
fact it would have retarded recovery by hindering oxygenation of
the blood."
"It would also be a very great mistake to suppose that when
reaction follows collapse, in cases in which alcohol has been
given, this result is always due to the alcohol. I have seen so
many cases of severe collapse recover without alcohol that I
cannot but be skeptical as to its necessity, and even as to its
value. I was much struck many years ago by a case of post partum
hemorrhage which was so severe that convulsions set in. I should
then have given brandy if there had been any to give, but there
was none in the house and none to be got. I administered
teaspoonfuls of hot water and the patient revived and recovered;
next day, except for anaemia, she was as well as ever, with no
reactionary fever or other disturbance, as would almost
certainly have been the case if brandy had been given.
"In collapse from hemorrhage, we have learned the value of
injections of warm saline water, either into the veins, the skin
or the rectum, and the same treatment is available in other
cases of collapse with contracted vessels.
"Another measure which has proved most efficacious is the
_inhalation of oxygen_ gas. This is especially useful in cases
in which alcohol is decidedly injurious, namely, those in which
there is increasing congestion of the lungs, which the heart,
though doing its utmost, is unable to overcome. Alcohol only
increases the congestion, and the heart is already over-exerted
and nearly exhausted. The effect of the oxygen is apparent in a
few seconds, and cases have been rescued in which death appeared
to be inevitable and imminent."--DR. RIDGE.
HEART STIMULANTS:--"The advantage of beef extract over alcohol
as a stimulant was demonstrated on a large scale in the Ashantee
war."--DR. RIDGE, London.
For those who must have a drug: aqua ammonia, 8 drops to 1/2 cup of hot
water, or 20 grains carbonate ammonia to 1/2 cup water. Hot water alone
is a useful stimulant; also water, hot or cold, with a few grains of
Cayenne pepper added. The latter is good, not only to start the heart's
action in collapse, but also to relieve violent pain. Hot milk is a most
valuable stimulant. Many persons to whom hot milk has been given during
the extreme weakness of acute disease have testified afterward to its
good effects in comparison with the wine formerly administered. The wine
caused an after-feeling of chilliness and weakness, while the milk gave
warmth and added strength.