Part 2

To one pint of water gruel or thin starch add a table spoonful of castor oil, or the same quantity of common lard, and a table spoonful of salt. This is an excellent cathartic.

FORM III.

Take of powdered senna two scruples, of soft soap one ounce, to which add a pint of boiling water. This is a very efficient cathartic enema in obstinate constipation, arising from colic, or other more inflammatory conditions of the bowels.

FORM IV.

To one pint of warm water add one ounce of castor oil and half an ounce of salt of tartar. Or take of Epsom salts one ounce, of senna leaves half an ounce, to which add one pint of boiling water. Pour the boiling water upon the senna and let it stand for a quarter of an hour; then strain and add the Epsom salts.

Either of these will be found to be very effectual in their operation.

Emollient Injections.

FORM I.

Take of molasses and water one pint, to which add one ounce of common lard. This has been found very effectual in cases of dysentery.

FORM II.

To one pint of water add one ounce of common dried mallows, and one half an ounce of dried chamomile. Boil together fifteen minutes, and strain.

Starch Injection.

To one pint of water add from four to six drachms of starch. Rub them well together and boil a short time. This is used as an excellent emollient enema in an inflammatory condition of the large intestines, or in irritation of the rectum, but chiefly in inflammatory cases. Flaxseed or slippery elm may be substituted in most cases, if more convenient.

Injection for Piles.[1]

To one pint of water add half an ounce of bruised galls and two large poppy heads. Boil together twenty minutes, and strain. This will be found to be a valuable remedy in severe cases of piles, where the rectum is much inflamed, it being very soothing in its nature.

[Footnote 1: PILES.--There are two kinds of piles, originating from very nearly the same causes. One is called the bleeding piles, the other the blind piles. The piles are small swelled tumors of rather a dark appearance, usually situated on the edge of the anus or fundament. When there is a discharge of blood from these tumors the disease is called bleeding piles; but when there is only a swelling on the edge of the anus, and no bleeding when the bowels are evacuated, the disease is called the blind piles. Both men and women are subject to piles; but women more particularly during the last stages of pregnancy, in which the womb presses on the rectum in relieving the bowels by stool. These tumors can plainly be felt, as they extend up the rectum an inch or more in severe cases. When these tumors burst and bleed, the patient is much relieved; but when the pain is severe, it is apt to produce fever. Many persons are constitutionally subject to this disease through life. It is generally, however, brought on by costiveness, or irregularity in relieving the bowels. Piles are also produced by sedentary habits, by the use of highly seasoned food, by riding a great deal on horseback in hot weather, by want of exercise, and lastly by the use of spirituous liquors to excess. Injections are much prescribed for their relief, and are found to be highly effective.]

Turpentine Injection.

Take of spirits of turpentine one half an ounce, to which add the yolk of an egg and three quarters of a pint of warm water. The injection is to be repeated as often as the case may require.

Astringent Injections.

FORM I.

Take of powdered nutgalls two and a half drachms, to which add half an ounce of walnut leaves and one quart of water. Boil down to a pint and a half, and strain. This is used in cases of leucorrhœa, or whites, and is esteemed a useful remedy.

FORM II.

Take of white oak bark one ounce, to which add two pints of water. Boil to a pint, and strain. This is regarded as an excellent remedy by many eminent physicians in cases of leucorrhœa. (See _Vaginal Injections_.)

FORM III.

Take of alum two and a half drachms, and dissolve in one pint of water. This is frequently used in dysentery.

FORM IV.

Take of alum two drachms, and of decoction of walnut leaves one quart. Dissolve and mix well together. This compound is found serviceable as a vaginal injection in leucorrhœa.

FORM V.

Take of powdered galls one drachm, to which add one pint of water. Boil down to three quarters of a pint, and strain. This preparation has been found very useful in chronic diarrhœa and excessive hemorrhage from piles.

FORM VI.

Take of soft _extract_ of rhatany seventy-five grains, to which add one drachm of _tincture_ of rhatany, and a half a pint of water. Dissolve the extract in the water, and strain; then add the tincture. This has been successfully prescribed by many physicians for bleeding piles, fissures in the anus, and chronic dysentery.

Anti-Dysenteric Injection.

Take of solution of acetate of lead from two and a half drachms to four drachms, to which add one pint of water.

For children, from one half to two and a half drachms will be sufficient in a proper proportion of water. This is an effectual injection in acute dysentery.

Injection of Sugar of Lead.

Take of sugar of lead one scruple, and of laudanum forty drops, to which add half a pint of warm water. This is recommended by the celebrated Dr. Davis as a sure remedy in cases of uterine hemorrhage.

Opiate or Anodyne Injections.

FORM I.

Take of laudanum fifty drops, to which add five ounces of starch mucilage, and mix well together. The UNITED STATES DISPENSATORY, speaking of this invaluable remedy, says that for obstinate vomiting, stranguary affections of the kidneys, bladder, &c., it is the most admirable remedy now in use.

FORM II.

Take of laudanum one half a teaspoonful, to which add two ounces of starch mucilage, and mix thoroughly. In dysentery and other painful affections of the intestines, this is considered by the best medical authority to be a certain relief. Dr. Druit directs from one hundred to one hundred and twenty drops to be administered. A whole teaspoonful has been often used in severe cases. The less mucilage used, the more likely is the injection to remain in the rectum. An opiate injection for a child not over a year old may consist of two or three drops of laudanum mixed in three quarters of an ounce of mucilage. Opiate injections should not be administered often, without the advice of a physician.

FORM III.

Take of powdered opium four grains, to which add one ounce of lard. Melt with gentle heat, mix thoroughly, and inject warm.

=Lime Water and Catechu Injection.=

Take of electuary of catechu half an ounce, to which add ten ounces of lime water. This has been administered with most beneficial results in diarrhœa.

Chloride of Soda Injection.

Take of chloride of soda one ounce, to which add from a half pint to a pint of water, and mix well. This is used in vaginal injections in cases of infections produced by the decomposition of a retained after-birth; also to destroy the offensive odor of stools, and to relieve pains in wounds of an unhealthy character.

Irritant Injection.

Take of hot Port wine one pint, and of alcohol five drachms. In cases of colic, where an active and speedy relief of the bowels is desired, this remedy has been highly beneficial.

Anti-Neuralgic Injection.

Take of Venice turpentine one half an ounce, and add the yolk of an egg, three fourths of a grain of extract of opium, and half a pint of water. Make the turpentine and egg into an emulsion, and by degrees add the water, in which the extract must previously be dissolved. An injection of simple water is to be first taken and retained, and then the above administered, which the patient must endeavor to retain. To be taken at first at bedtime, and after a few days twice a day, in cases of obstinate rheumatic affections.

Anti-Spasmodic Injections.

FORM I.

Take of castor (not the oil) one drachm, and beat it well with the yolk of an egg; then add a half pint of water. This is frequently given with the best results to women suffering from spasms of the womb, accompanied with hysterics.

FORM II.

Take of assafœtida two drachms, to which add from one half to three-quarters of a pint of thin water gruel, and mix well together. This is considered very useful in hysteria, colic, convulsions of children, &c., and for relief of severe pain in the bowels.

Injections for Worms.[2]

FORM I.

Take of powdered aloes from ten to fifteen grains, and of starch mucilage one gill. Steep well together, and strain. The same quantity of warm sweet oil or even lamp oil is very useful in these cases, and is known to be a powerful exterminator of pin worms. It may be injected twice a day, if deemed necessary. _For this purpose alone_, the _Improved Injecting Apparatus_ becomes, in the hands of parents, a valuable means of removing one of the most frightful sources of disease in children.

[Footnote 2: WORMS AND THEIR SYMPTOMS.--The worms which mostly infest the human body are the long round worm, the maw or pin worm, the tape worm, and the fluke worm. The long round worm is from four to twelve inches in length, and about as large round as a common pipe stem. This worm is quite common in children, and not unfrequently crawls out at the mouth. It is of a brownish or ash color. The maw or pin worm is generally from two to four inches in length, and of a white color. This worm is most common to children, but is not unfrequently met with in grown persons also. They are frequently found in the intestines in the form of a ball, in such quantities as to prevent the medicines which are usually administered from operating. As a general thing, the symptoms are a bad fetor or smell to the breath, frightful dreams, itching about the navel, pain in the belly, and gnawing about the stomach, itching in the nose, frequent dry cough, with tickling in the throat, constant hunger, and yet the system becomes weak, the head generally becomes affected, face pale and of a yellowish cast. These symptoms, either singly or together, denote worms. Injections are considered a most efficient mode of expulsion, and are much recommended by physicians.]

FORM II.

Take of sifted _wood soot_ six drachms; to which add half a pint of water. Boil and strain. This injection is useful in destroying thread worms in children. It should be given half an hour before the child goes to bed, and should be administered several days in succession.

FORM III.

Take of chamomile flowers half an ounce, of aloes one drachm, of common salt one ounce, and boiling water one pint. Steep the chamomile and aloes for ten minutes; then strain, and add the salt.

Aromatic Injection.

Steeped anise seed or carraway, so commonly given by the mouth to infants, in flatulency, may be used in the form of injections for the same purpose, by making an infusion of the seeds. Take, of the seeds of either one half an ounce, and of boiling water a pint. Steep for fifteen minutes and strain. This may be often repeated, if required.

Yeast Injection.

Take of barley gruel one gill, to which add one gill of yeast. This injection is found extremely efficient in typhoid fever, and useful in preventing the offensive odor of stools in various complaints.

Tobacco Injection.

Take of tobacco leaves from fifteen to twenty grains; to which add one pint of boiling water. Steep for an hour and strain. This injection is recommended in cases of strangulated hernia by many distinguished French and English physicians; and also for obstinate constipation, retention of urine, flooding after child-birth, &c. This injection should be used with the utmost caution, and never without the sanction, or, perhaps, even under the eye of a physician. _Lobelia_, which is sometimes substituted for tobacco, is liable to the same or more stringent objections, and should be used with the same care.

Quinine Injections.

FORM I.

Take of flaxseed tea one gill, to which add from twelve to fifteen grains of quinine. Injected warm, this enema is found to have a powerful and immediate effect in intermittent fevers. It may be repeated every four or six hours, as the case may require.

FORM II.

Take of quinine five or six grains, and of sulphuric acid eight drops; to which add half a pint of water. This enema is sometimes used for expulsion of worms from the rectum, and is considered very effective by physicians generally.

Camphor Injection.

Take of powdered camphor five grains, and one gill of gum arabic mucilage, or flaxseed tea. Mix well and administer warm. This is highly esteemed in cases of dysentery.

Ox Gall Injection.

Take of ox gall flesh one ounce, to which add one pint of warm water. This has been strongly recommended by _Doctors Clay and Alnatt_, of England, for cases of obstinate constipation and hardened fæces. Cases are on record in England where numerous other injections had been used, all of which failed; upon which an injection of ox-gall was administered, and success was the instantaneous result.

Nutritious Injections.

FORM I.

In cases where nourishment cannot be taken by the mouth, injections of strong beef tea or broth may be thrown up the rectum, to the extent of from half a pint to a pint at a time. A case is cited where life was prolonged in this manner alone for ten weeks or more.

FORM II.

Take of starch or tapioca one drachm. Boil in half a pint of veal broth, without salt, and three yolks of eggs. Beat well together and strain. Administer tepid. This is an admirable support to nature where food is not easily borne upon the stomach.

Nitrate of Silver Injection.[3]

Take of nitrate of silver half a grain, to which add half a pint of water; to be retained after injection several hours, if possible. The strength may be increased to three grains for each injection. _Dr. Trask_, in his "_Notes on Hospital Cases_," in his Journal of October, 1850, mentions a case of severe chronic diarrhœa, in which, after using several strong injections of sulph. zinc, sugar of lead, opium, tannin, etc., with no effect, he injected a solution of thirty grains of nitrate of silver, with a common glass syringe. It was not retained a moment, he says, and caused a good deal of tenesmus for some time. After this injection, another of starch and laudanum was immediately administered, and a very decided diminution in the number of discharges followed. The next day but one, an injection of fifteen grains of nitrate of silver was given, followed by the injection of starch and laudanum, and in eight days from the first injection of the caustic, the patient was able to walk about the house.

[Footnote 3: This injection should never be administered, save by the advice or under the eye of a physician.]

Vaginal Injections.

Vaginal injections should first be given in quantities sufficient to thoroughly cleanse the vaginal canal; and then, in quantities of about a gill, should be administered and retained as long as from ten to twenty minutes, if possible. The temperature of the injections may vary with the state of the patient, and be either hot or cold. Warm injections may afford a speedy relief to some, while upon others they have no effect. In cases of leucorrhœa, if copious, injections of tepid water, three or four times a day, will be found to be very beneficial. In falling of the womb, injections of cold water in quantities of a quart at a time, have been administered with good results. In some cases of leucorrhœa an astringent injection may be required. The injection for this complaint mostly recommended by physicians consists of a decoction of white oak bark, (_see Astringent Injections_,) and can be used warm or cold, as best suits the patient. However, _in all cases of vaginal complaints_, unless they are very mild, _legitimate medical advice should always be had_; physicians in regular standing being the most reliable in all critical cases. Application to them should therefore be made at once, or evil consequences may be the penalty of neglect.

TESTIMONY OF EMINENT PHYSICIANS.

_From the venerable and distinguished Dr. James Jackson, No. 3 Hamilton Place, Boston._

BOSTON, DECEMBER 21, 1855.

I have seen Mr. Lewis's Improved Portable Syringe, and I think it is a very neatly made instrument, and that it is an excellent apparatus for family use.

JAMES JACKSON.

_From Dr. Nathaniel B. Shurtleff._

BOSTON, DECEMBER 5, 1855.

MR. THOMAS LEWIS.

Sir: Your Portable Syringe, constructed for medical use, combines so much of the needful with the convenient, that I have no doubt of its proving invaluable in many cases where others, from their construction, will be entirely useless.

NATHANIEL B. SHURTLEFF.

_From Dr. Walter Channing._

BOSTON, DECEMBER 17, 1855.

MR. THOMAS LEWIS.

Dear Sir: I have examined your Improved Syringe, and find it will perfectly answer the purpose for which it is designed, either for self or family use.

WALTER CHANNING, M. D.

_From Henry G. Clark, M. D., Surgeon at the Massachusetts General Hospital, and City Physician of Boston._

BOSTON, DECEMBER 11, 1855.

MR. THOMAS LEWIS.

Dear Sir: I have thoroughly examined the Improved Portable Syringe manufactured by you, and think it one of the very best I have seen.

Yours truly,

HENRY G. CLARKE.

_From Dr. M. S. Perry, No. 16 Rowe Street._

BOSTON, DECEMBER 12, 1855.

MR. THOMAS LEWIS.

Dear Sir: I received your Improved Syringe, and have examined it very carefully. I think it is all you recommend it to be. Simple and durable in mechanism, and convenient in its form, it is certainly a good family instrument.

Respectfully yours,

M. S. PERRY.

Also recommended by the following distinguished physicians of this city:

DR. HENRY J. BIGELOW, Surgeon to Mass. Gen. Hospital. DR. J. V. C. SMITH, Mayor of Boston. DR. D. H. STORER, and many others.

_From Dr. Theo. Kittredge, Waltham, Mass._

WALTHAM, DECEMBER 21, 1855.

MR. THOMAS LEWIS.

Dear Sir: Your Improved Syringe, of which I have made a thorough trial, is the most simple and convenient apparatus I have ever seen, and for durability it cannot be excelled. Its simplicity of construction is certainly of the greatest importance, particularly to country physicians, who are frequently under the necessity of repairing their own instruments, and are greatly perplexed by the common apparatus being so often out of order.

THEODORE KITTREDGE, M. D.

_From Joseph M. Wightman, Esq., the celebrated Philosophical Instrument Manufacturer, No. 33 Cornhill, who is well known throughout the United States._

BOSTON, NOVEMBER 8, 1855.

MR. THOMAS LEWIS.

Dear Sir: After a thorough trial of your 'Improved Portable Syringe,' during severe sickness in my family, I am gratified to give my decided opinion in favor of its construction, as admirably adapted to the purpose, and also in regard to the excellent workmanship and convenient arrangement of the various parts. These qualities combined with 'Hard Ball Valves,' which operate as well with those injections of which gruel forms a part, as with those more fluid, render it invaluable to those who are obliged to resort frequently to the use of such an instrument for the purpose, and have suffered from having those of other constructions so often out of order as to be a continual source of annoyance and expense.

Yours truly,

J. M. WIGHTMAN, 33 Cornhill.

OPINIONS OF DRUGGISTS.

_From Thomas Hollis, an old and long-established Druggist, No. 23 Union Street._

BOSTON, DECEMBER 3, 1855.

MR. THOMAS LEWIS.

Sir: I have examined your Improved Portable Syringe, and regard it as a most admirable instrument. Compact and simple in its construction, it is easily managed, and not liable to get out of order, and is well adapted for all the purposes for which it is intended.

THOMAS HOLLIS.

The following opinion, expressed by the principal wholesale and retail Druggists of this city, shows with what favor the new instrument has been received by the trade generally:--

BOSTON, NOVEMBER 16, 1855.

The undersigned having carefully examined _Lewis's Improved Portable Syringe_, are satisfied as to its excellence, and believe it to be superior to any instrument of the kind before offered to the attention of the trade.

HENSHAW, EDMANDS & CO., 36 India Street.

REED, CUTLER & CO., 33 India Street.

BROWN & KNAPP, 49 India Street.

BREWERS, STEVENS, & CUSHING, 90 and 92 Washington St.

CHARLES T. CARNEY, 138 Washington Street.

WILSON, FAIRBANK & CO., 43 and 45 Hanover Street.

REED, AUSTIN & CO., 34 India Street.

THAYER, HOVEY & CO., 6 Faneuil Hall Square.

CARTER, COLCORD & PRESTON, 86 Hanover Street.

WEEKS & POTTER, 154 Washington Street.

A. L. CUTLER & CO., 43 India Street.

B. O. & G. C. WILLSON, 18 Central Street.

SMITH & MELVIN, 325 Washington Street.

JOSEPH T. BROWN, Corner Bedford and Washington Streets.

THOMAS RESTIEAUX, 29 Tremont Street.

J. W. PHELPS, 68 Tremont Street.

HENRY D. FOWLE, 71 Prince Street.

OPINIONS OF THE PRESS.

_From the Boston Medical and Surgical Journal._

The editor of the Boston Medical and Surgical Journal, under date of Dec. 6, 1855, speaking of Lewis's Improved Portable Syringe, says:--

"Portability, durability, neatness, and efficiency are qualities which render any apparatus as nearly perfect as possible, and they are certainly possessed by this. The piston moves admirably, and its action requires hardly any more exertion from the person working it than does that of the elastic bottle attached to certain of these instruments.

"There is a great convenience, it is true, in avoiding the use of the pump, as is effected by Dr. Mattson in his arrangement, and the stream of fluid is thrown (or can be) more continuously; but the lasting nature of the metallic chamber and rod, together with the ease of working the latter, are equivalent excellences.

"This apparatus is adapted to both rectal and vaginal uses, and a small pipe is added for use in the case of children.

"One great advantage claimed by the proprietor, and which commends itself at once to the judgment, is the simple construction, and more than that, the lasting nature of the valves. A ball, accurately fitting, supplies the place of the leather or India rubber valves most commonly employed. It is evident that an important object is here attained; the valves cannot get out of order. If, in taking the syringe apart, the ball should accidentally drop, it tells its story as it falls, and is instantly replaced; no renewal is needed, except there be actual loss, when a common marble, if round, will answer the purpose.

"There are many occasions when it is necessary to use a thick, tenacious fluid for injections; for such purposes, this syringe can have no rival. With delicate flapping valves, these substances would decidedly interfere, and continual change and repair be demanded. With this simple and efficient arrangement, we can hardly conceive it possible for the instrument to get out of working order. In cases where it is imperative to give nourishing enemata, such as gruel, broths, &c., the above conditions are absolutely essential to success, and also to the final integrity of the apparatus.

"As a general thing, the more simple the machinery, the easier its use, and the more universal its application. Complicated arrangements, while they are far more readily disordered, puzzle the unskilful, and sometimes even foil the accustomed hand: their fate is, commonly, to be thrown by in disgust.