Chapter 26

10. MEDICINES. Parke, Davis & Co., Anti-Tonsilitis Tablet No. 645 is very good. This can be bought at any drug store. For a child give one-half a tablet every two hours for four doses, then every three hours. An adult can take one to two every one to three hours according to the severity of the case.

11. Aspirin.--Aspirin is another good remedy; five grains every four hours for an adult; but used only under doctor's directions.

12. Dr. Hare of Philadelphia, uses 1/200 grain mercurius biniodide (pink powder) every four to six hours to abort tonsilitis. I would recommend the following:--Give one-tenth drop dose of a good tincture of aconite and 1/200 grain of the mercury biniodide (one to two tablets a dose) every hour, alternately, one of them one hour and the next, etc. If there is much deposit I would put ten tablets of mercury protoiodide (one-tenth of a grain in a tablet) in one-half glass of water and give two teaspoonfuls every hour until the bowels move freely, then every three to four hours. The aconite can be used if there is much fever, with hot, dry skin, alternately everyone-half hour. I prefer the pink powder when there is no deposit or membrane. These I have used for years, and know them to be excellent. For children the dose is about one-half. After twelve hours the remedies should be given only every three to four hours.

QUINSY. (Suppurative Tonsilitis).--In from two to four days the enlarged gland becomes softer and finally may break, sometimes in the pharynx; the breaking gives the patient great relief. Suffocation has sometimes followed the rupture of a large abscess and the entrance of the pus into the larynx. This form of tonsilitis was formerly called quinsy. By this term now is meant an abscess around the tonsils, (Peri-tonsilar abscess). The structures are very much swollen.

Causes are somewhat similar to what has produced the regular tonsilitis. It may follow exposure to cold and wet, and is very liable to recur. It is most common between fourteen and twenty-five years. The inflammation here is more deeply seated. It involves the main tissue of the tonsil and tends to go on to suppuration.

Symptoms.--The general disturbance is very great. The fever goes to 104 or 105 degrees; the pulse 110 to 120. Delirium at night is not uncommon. The weakness may be extreme. The throat is dry and sore, hurts terribly to swallow, this being the first thing of which the patient complains. Both tonsils may be involved. They become large, firm to the touch, dusky red and swollen, and the surrounding parts are also much swollen. The swelling may be so great that the tonsils may touch each other or one tonsil may push the uvula aside and almost touch the other tonsil. There is much saliva. The glands of the neck enlarge, the lower jaw is almost immovable and sometimes it is almost impossible to open the mouth at all.

QUINSY. Mothers' Remedies. 1. Willow Gargle for.--"Steep pussy willow and gargle throat with it. This remedy if taken in time, will cure quinsy and it will not return."

[INFECTIOUS DISEASES 191]

2. Quinsy, Liveforever Root Good Poultice for.--"Get the root of liveforever, pound it up and bind on throat as you would a poultice." We have tried this, and it has always given relief, if done in time.

3. Quinsy, Plaster of Lard and Salt for.--"Take one tablespoonful lard and stir into as much table salt as possible making it about like mortar. Spread on a cloth and apply." Splendid for sore throat and quinsy.

4. Quinsy, Oil of Anise Effective for.--"Rub inside of throat with oil of anise."

5. Quinsy, Quick Remedy for.--"In severe cases of quinsy where the tonsils are inflamed and almost meet, a third of a grain of mercury and chalk, or "gray powder," acts very quickly. Cold compresses used nightly to harden the throat is very good. At night use a gargle made of a teaspoonful tincture of cayenne pepper to half pint of water." This remedy is very good and is sure to give relief.

6. Quinsy, Pleasant Peppermint Application for.--"There is nothing better for this disease than oil of peppermint applied externally to the neck and throat." This is an excellent remedy.

7. Quinsy, Kerosene Good for.--"A cloth wet with kerosene oil applied to the throat is very good; also gargling with kerosene oil." Repeat the application of the wet cloths every two or three hours.

8. Quinsy, Raw Beef Has Cured.--"Bind raw beefsteak over the tonsils on one or both sides of the throat as required." The beefsteak acts as a poultice and counter-irritant, drawing the inflammation out in a short time. This is very good, and is easily prepared.

9. Quinsy, Easy and Simple Remedy for.--"Strong sulphur water. Broke up two cases I know."

PHYSICIANS' TREATMENT for Quinsy.--The external applications used should now be hot. Hot water; hot poultices, cloths wrung out of smartweed hot, and thyme tea or golden seal teas. The same steaming process and hot water gargles can be used as given under follicular tonsilitis. But if it continues the tonsils or tonsil must be opened to save pain and life. Just as soon as there is suppuration they should be opened. It will feel softer to the finger touch when ready for opening.

Prevention of Attacks.--By taking care a good many attacks of tonsilitis can be avoided. A person subject to this trouble must be careful about taking cold. He should not sit down with wet clothes, or feet, or shoes that are wet. Girls should wear rubbers and keep dry feet and skirts. Sleeping in damp unused beds is bad. Putting on underwear that has not been dried thoroughly and aired, and the use of bedding, pillows, etc., in the same condition should not be tolerated. Sleeping on the first floor is generally unhealthy for such persons, for it is generally damp.

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Do not get chilled; wear sufficient clothing. Drying clothes in a kitchen is an abomination and terrible to one subject to this disease or rheumatism. You can keep from having it so often by proper care. It is likely to return, and repeated attacks will cause permanently enlarged tonsils and they will become so diseased that they, will not only be annoying, but dangerous to health and life. You will go around with your mouth open, "talk through your nose." The tonsil must then be removed, also the adenoids in the throat, to enjoy proper mental and physical health. Enlarged tonsils with pus in them are a menace to anyone. A person who has had these troubles should be careful not to expose himself to the danger of taking cold after an attack.

The parts are still tender and in danger of a return upon the least error in your daily life. I once had a friend who had a return of tonsilitis brought on through going out too soon, and the second attack was worse than the first, a genuine "hummer."

What to do with enlarged tonsils.--Moderate enlargement of the tonsils giving rise to no symptoms or inconvenience need not be interfered with. When, however, the enlargement is great, or when with moderate sized tonsils there are resulting troubles, such as liability to inflammatory rheumatism attacks, active local treatment will be called for; especially is this true when the tonsils contain pus and interfere with the breathing. They should be removed. An anaesthetic is not usually necessary, as the pain is not severe.

INFLUENZA (La Grippe).--La Grippe is an acute infectious disease caused by a germ. It may be epidemic, attacking a large number of persons at one time, or it may continue in the same region for some time and is then called endemic. It is caused by a germ, discovered by a man named Pfeiffer.

The Onset.--The onset may be from one to four days and is usually sudden with a chill and all the symptoms of an active fever due to a general infection, varying according to the location. If in the organs of respiration it begins like a severe cold; active fever, severe pains in the eyes, back, arms, legs, and in the bones; "aches all over" and great prostration. After the fever subsides there is usually a general sore feeling. Symptoms of bronchitis, pleurisy or pneumonia may develop. Then there is the nervous type, generally with a bad headache, neuralgia, pains in the head, backache, legs and arms ache and prostration. May also have inflammation of nerves. Then again the stomach and bowels may be the main seat, for La Grippe has no respect for any organ. We have then symptoms of acute indigestion with fever, nausea, vomiting, stomach pains or acute bowel trouble with fever, colicky pain in the abdomen; diarrhea; or we may have the febrile (fever) type. This may be the only symptom. The fever may be continuous or remittent, and last several days or several weeks and often with pains accompanying it.

In all forms convalescence is often gradual on account of the bodily and mental prostration with general soreness for several days. Many persons never fully regain their health, especially if they are careless during the attack, and almost any disease like bronchitis, kidney disease, pleurisy, pneumonia, etc., may follow.

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LA GRIPPE, Mothers' Remedies.--1. Pepper, Red or Cayenne for.--"Make a tea of red pepper or cayenne, and take a tablespoonful in a cup of hot water, drink slowly, before each meal and on retiring. Larger doses in proportion to the intensity of the disease." Sponging the face, temples and neck with water as hot as can be borne relieves the headache of la grippe, which is often very painful and annoying.

2. La Grippe, Easy Remedy for.--"Plenty of good physic with hot teas of any kind has helped my own family."

3. La Grippe, Pleasant and Effective Remedy for.--"Use the oil of peppermint freely; rubbing it on the forehead, in front and back of the ears and each side of the nose. Inhale through each nostril separately. If the throat is affected pour two or three drops in small dish of hot water. Invert a funnel over the dish with the small end in the mouth and draw long breaths. Soak the feet in hot water at bedtime and take a good sweat, if possible."

4. La Grippe, To Allay Fever in.--"To produce sweating and to act on the kidneys and to allay restlessness in fever use the following: Lemon juice and water equal parts, enough to make four ounces; bicarbonate of potassium, one dram; water, three ounces. Make and keep in separate solutions to be used in tablespoonful doses several times daily and taken while effervescing, that is, foaming and bubbling up."

5. La Grippe. Poor Man's Herb Vapor Bath for.--"Give a Turkish or vapor bath every other day. A pail of hot water, with a hot brick thrown into it and placed under a cane-seated chair is the poor man's vapor bath. The patient should be covered. Then take the following herb tea:

Yarrow 2 ounces Vervain 2 ounces Mullein 2 ounces Boneset 1 ounce Red Sage 2 ounces

Add two quarts of water and boil down to three pints; strain, and then add one ounce fluid extract of ginger; sweeten with honey or syrup; take a wine glassful three times a day, hot. Keep the bowels open and let the diet be light."

6. La Grippe, Red Pepper Treatment From Canada for.--"Take a bottle of alcohol and put enough red peppers in it so that when four drops of this liquid are put in a half cup of water it tastes strong. This is what I always break up my grippe with." Peppers thus prepared stimulates and warms up the stomach and bowels, and increases the circulation.

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PHYSICIANS' TREATMENT for La Grippe.--All discharges from the nose, throat and lungs should be disinfected, for the disease is contagious. Go to bed and stay there. You have no business to be around if you value your health. I am not writing of common cold. A great many people say they have had this disease when they have not had it. One who has had this disease is sick enough to go to bed, and there is where he should be. For the chill a sweat should be produced by putting hot water in fruit jars, wrapping them and placing them around the patient's feet, legs and body. Hot tea drinks can be given; hot lemonade, teas made from hoarhound, ginger, hops and catnip are good.

Corn Sweat.--The corn sweat can be used. Put from ten to twenty-five ears of corn in a boiler, boil thoroughly until the boiled corn smell appears, then put the corn ears into five packs, putting from two to five ears in a pack, according to the age of the patient. Use cloths or towels, but do not put the ears in contact, wrap the cloth between them. Put one pack to the feet and one at each side of the hips, and in each armpit. This will soon cause sweating and restore the external (capillary) circulation. It will generally produce a grateful sweat. Keep the clothes on the patient. After the patient has perspired enough you can remove one pack at a time. Have fresh aired sheets and night dress ready, and after bathing the patient slowly and carefully under the clothes with tepid water and drying all of the body put on the new night-dress and sheets. This remedy is also good for colds and inflammatory diseases of all kinds and when used carefully and thoroughly is always good. Of course, if there is great weakness it cannot be used, for it weakens a patient somewhat. I have saved lives with this sweat, and I know I have cut short many colds and inflammatory diseases. After the sweat the patient should have enough covering to keep comfortably warm and care must be taken to keep from the cold.

Fever.--If the disease goes on and there is high fever, so that the patient suffers from it, it is better to reduce it by cool sponging than by the coal tar products like antipyrin, acetanilid, etc. They are weakening and this is a weakening, prostrating disease. Good, careful cool sponging generally relieves the excessive fever and restlessness. The fever does not continue so long in this disease and it is not, therefore, so harmful. Delirium is present in some cases when the fever is not high.

Irritating Cough.--This can frequently he controlled by steam inhalations as directed under tonsilitis. You can also put in the steaming water one teaspoonful to one tablespoonful of compound tincture of benzoin for this disease. Hoarhound tea can be put in the water and the steam inhaled. If such measures do not stop the cough, medicine will be needed.

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Sore Throat.--Spraying the throat with a solution of boric acid, one dram to one pint of hot water, is good. Listerine is good in the same way and dose.

Bowels.--They should be kept open from the first. Salts are usually handy and good.

Medicines.--Ten grains Dover's powder at night is good; unless there is much weakness. Some give quinine, some salol. Quinine, one to two grains, is given one to three hours. Salol, five grains, every three hours, especially for the backache.

Aspirin in five-grain doses for an adult every four hours is given very much now. The bowels should be kept open with salts.

Diet.--Children should take milk if there is no vomiting or diarrhea. If there is vomiting and diarrhea, give only water or diluted milk, or nothing if they continue. Water can generally be given.

For adults a good, nourishing diet when convalescence commences is necessary. During the sickness, milk, eggs,--raw and soft boiled, broths, soups, milk toast, can be given. A person must be very careful after an attack of the grip. He should remain in the house for some time, a week after he is well and thinks he can go out.

TYPHOID FEVER.--Typhoid fever is an acute infectious disease caused by a (Bacillus) germ, named after the discoverer (Eberth). This germ enters into the system, as stated below, locates itself in different organs, especially in the small intestine. It does its worst work in Peyer's glands, situated in the small intestines. They enlarge, ulcerate, break down and their structure is cast off into the bowel. This eating goes so far, in some cases, that it eats through the tissue to the blood vessels and other bleeding follows. Sometimes it goes through all the coats, the peritoneal being the last one. If this occurs we have what is called perforation of the bowel and the peritoneum around this perforation inflames and there is the dread complication of peritonitis. This is very fatal, as the patient is weakened from the inroads of weeks of fever and from the effects of the poison germ. Typhoid fever is also characterized by its slow (insidious), slyly, creeping onset, peculiar temperature, bloating of the abdomen, diarrhea, swelling of the spleen, rose-colored spots and a liability to complications, such as bleeding from the bowels, peritonitis, bronchitis and pneumonia. Its average duration is three to four weeks, often longer. In order to take this disease there must first be the poison germ and then this enters into the system, generally through water that contains the germ, milk, oysters and other foods, etc.

Cause.--The typhoid bacillus (typhoid). This enters into the alimentary canal usually through contaminated water or with milk directly infected by the milk or by water used in washing cans. Also through food to which the germs are carried from the excreta (discharges) by flies, occasionally through oysters by freshening.

Filth, improper drainage and poor ventilation favor the preservation of the bacillus germ and lower the power of resistance in those exposed.

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Time.--It occurs most frequently between August and November and in those of from fifteen to twenty years of age. The Peyer's patches and solitary glands of the bowel enlarge, become reddish and are somewhat raised. These go on and ulcerate until the blood vessels may be eaten into and bleeding sometimes results, it eats through the bowel, then there is perforation and peritonitis. The spleen is enlarged, the liver shows changes, the kidney functions are also deranged.

Symptoms.--The symptoms are variable. The following gives the symptoms in a typical case:

Incubation.--The period of incubation lasts from eight to fourteen and sometimes to twenty-three days. During the period the patient feels weak, is almost unable to work, has chilly feelings, headache and tiring dreams, does not know what is the matter with him, constipation or diarrhea, has no appetite, may have some pain in the abdomen which is occasionally localized in the right lower side. Soreness on deep pressure is often found there. In some cases there is nosebleed.

First Week.--After the patient is obliged to take to his bed: During the first week there is in some cases a steady rise in the fever each evening showing a degree or degree and one-half higher than the preceding evening, reaching 103 to 104, and each morning showing higher fever than the preceding morning. The pulse is characteristically low in proportion to the temperature, being about 100 to 110, full of low tension, often having double beat. The tongue is coated; there is constipation or diarrhea; the abdomen is somewhat distended and a little tender to the touch in the lower right portion. There may be some mental confusion at night. Bronchitis is often present. The spleen becomes enlarged between the seventh and tenth day and the eruption usually appears during this period on the stomach and abdomen.

Second week.--All the symptoms are intensified in the second week, the fever is always high and the weakening type; the pulse is more frequent; the headache is replaced by dullness; the bowel symptoms increase and we have the "pea soup" discharge if there is diarrhea; there is a listless, dull expression on the face; the tongue is coated in the center, red along the edges and the tip, becomes dry and sometimes cracked and almost useless. It is hard to put it out of the mouth, it sticks to the teeth or lips and curls there, and sometimes the patient allows it to remain partly out of the mouth. There may be bleeding from the bowels and perforation of the bowel, producing peritonitis.

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Third week.--The temperature is lower in the morning with a gradual fall; the emaciation and weakness are marked. Perforation of the bowel or bleeding may occur. Unfavorable symptoms now include low muttering, delirium, shakings of the muscles, twitching of the tendons, grasping at imaginary things, lung complications and heart weakness.

Fourth week.--In a favorable case: The fever gradually falls to normal, the other symptoms disappear. Death may occur at any time after the second week from the disease or complications. The convalescence is very gradual and the appetite is very great.

Special symptoms and variations.--It may come on with a chill sometimes it is observed by nervous symptoms only.

Walking type.--In this type the patient is able to be around and can walk. The temperature is as high, but some of the other symptoms are not so violent. This is a dangerous kind because the patient is able to walk and thinks it foolish to remain quiet in bed. Walking and being around are likely to injure the bowels, and there is then more danger of bleeding from the bowels. A typhoid fever patient should always go to bed and remain there until he has fully recovered.

Digestive Symptoms.--The tongue is coated, white and moist at first, and in the second week it becomes red at the tip, and at the edges. Later it is dry, brown and cracked. The teeth and lips are covered with a brown material, called sordes.

Diarrhea.--In some cases constipation is prominent, in others diarrhea is a prominent symptom. Bloating is frequent, and an unfavorable symptom, when it is excessive. Bleeding from the bowel occurs usually between the end of the second and the beginning of the fourth week. A sudden feeling of collapse, and rapid fall of the temperature mark it. It is not always fatal.

Perforation of the bowel is usually shown by a sudden sharp pain coming in paroxysms generally localized in the right lower side. The death rate varies very much; in hospitals it is seven to eight per cent. Unfavorable symptoms are continued high fever, delirium and hemorrhage. Persons who are hard drinkers do badly and very many of them die.

TREATMENT. Prevention. Sanitary Care.--Do away with the causes. Keep your cellars clean; do not have them damp, filthy, and filled with decaying matter, as these all tend to weaken the system and make you more susceptible to the poison. In the country, no drainings should come near the wells or springs. Not all water that looks clear and nice is pure. The "out-houses" must be kept clean, and emptied at least twice each year. In the small cities, especially, the water should be boiled during the months when the supply is limited and the wells are low. If more attention was paid to our water supply to make certain that it was not contaminated, and to our foods, especially milk, and to keeping our cellars and drains in a good clean and dry condition, we would have little typhoid fever. Carelessness is the real cause of this terrible disease. The milk should be boiled as well as the water when there is an epidemic of typhoid.

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