Apoplexy, Bad Breath and Quinsy.
1. APOPLEXY.--Apoplexy occurs only in the corpulent or obese, and those of
gross or high living.
_Treatment._--Raise the head to a nearly upright position; loosen all tight
clothes, strings, etc., and apply cold water to the head and warm water and
warm cloths to the feet. Have the apartment cool and well ventilated. Give
nothing by the mouth until the breathing is relieved, and then only
draughts of cold water.
2. BAD BREATH.--Bad or foul breath will be removed by taking a teaspoonful
of the following mixture after each meal: One ounce chloride of soda, one
ounce liquor of potassa, one and one-half ounces phosphate of soda, and
three ounces of water.
3. QUINSY.--This is an inflammation of the tonsils, or common inflammatory
sore throat; commences with a slight feverish attack, with considerable
pain and swelling of the tonsils, causing some difficulty in swallowing; as
the attack advances, these symptoms become more intense, there is headache,
thirst, a painful sense of tension, and acute darting pains in the ears.
The attack is generally brought on by exposure to cold, and lasts from five
to seven days, when it subsides naturally, or an abscess may form in
tonsils and burst, or the tonsils may remain enlarged, the inflammation
subsiding.
_Home Treatment._--The patient should remain in a warm room, the diet
chiefly milk and good broths, some cooling laxative and diaphoretic
medicine may be given; but the greatest relief will be found in the
frequent inhalation of the steam of hot water through an inhaler, or in the
old-fashioned way through the spout of a teapot.
* * * * *
{366}
Sensible Rules for the Nurse.
"Remember to be extremely neat in dress; a few drops of hartshorn in the
water used for _daily_ bathing will remove the disagreeable odors of warmth
and perspiration.
"Never speak of the symptoms of your patient in his presence, unless
questioned by the doctor, whose orders you are always to obey _implicitly_.
"Remember never to be a gossip or tattler, and always to hold sacred the
knowledge which, to a certain extent, you must obtain of the private
affairs of your patient and the household in which you nurse.
"Never contradict your patient, nor argue with him, nor let him see that
you are annoyed about anything.
"Never _whisper_ in the sick room. If your patient be well enough, and
wishes you to talk to him, speak in a low, distinct voice, on cheerful
subjects. Don't relate painful hospital experiences, nor give details of
the maladies of former patients, and remember never to startle him with
accounts of dreadful crimes or accidents that you have read in the
newspapers.
"_Write_ down the orders that the physician gives you as to time for giving
the medicines, food, etc.
"Keep the room bright (unless the doctor orders it darkened).
"Let the air of the room be as pure as possible, and keep everything in
order, but without being fussy and bustling.
"The only way to remove dust in a sick room is to wipe everything with a
damp cloth.
"Remember to carry out all vessels covered. Empty and wash them
immediately, and keep some disinfectant in them.
"Remember that to leave the patient's untasted food by his side, from meal
to meal, in hopes that he will eat it in the interval, is simply to prevent
him from taking any food at all.
"Medicines, beef tea or stimulants, should never be kept where the patient
can see them or smell them.
"Light-colored clothing should be worn by those who have the care of the
sick, in preference to dark-colored apparel; particularly if the disease is
of a contagious nature. Experiments have shown that black and other dark
colors will absorb more readily the subtle effluvia that emanates from sick
persons than white or light colors."
* * * * *
{367}
Longevity.
The following table exhibits very recent mortality statistics, showing the
average duration of life among persons of various classes:
_Employment_ _Years_.
Judges 65
Farmers 64
Bank Officers 64
Coopers 58
Public Officers 57
Clergymen 56
Shipwrights 55
Hatters 54
Lawyers 54
Rope Makers 54
Blacksmiths 51
Merchants 51
Calico Printers 51
Physicians 51
Butchers 50
Carpenters 49
Masons 48
Traders 46
Tailors 44
Jewelers 44
Manufacturers 43
Bakers 43
Painters 43
Shoemakers 43
Mechanics 43
Editors 40
Musicians 39
Printers 38
Machinists 36
Teachers 34
Clerks 34
Operatives 32
"It will be easily seen, by these figures, how a quiet or tranquil life
affects longevity. The phlegmatic man will live longer, all other things
being equal, than the sanguine, nervous individual. Marriage is favorable
to longevity, and it has also been ascertained that women live longer than
men." {368}
[Illustration: HOT WATER THROAT BAG. HOT WATER BAG.]