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Hygienic Physiology

J >> Joel Dorman Steele >> Hygienic Physiology




CURE OF DISEASE.--The first step in the cure of any disease is to obey the
law of health which has been violated. If medicine be taken, it is not to
destroy the disease, since that is not a thing to be destroyed, but to
hold the deranged action in check while nature repairs the injury, and
again brings the system into harmonious movement. This tendency of nature
is our chief reliance. The best physicians are coming to have diminished
confidence in medicine itself, and to place greater dependence upon
sanitary and hygienic measures, and upon the efforts which nature always
makes to repair injuries and soothe disordered action. They endeavor only
to give to nature a fair chance, and sometimes to assist her by the
intelligent employment of proper medicines. The indiscriminate use of
patent nostrums and sovereign remedies of whose constituents we know
nothing, and by which powerful drugs are imbibed at haphazard, can not be
too greatly deprecated. When one needs medicine, he needs also a competent
physician to advise its use.

DEATH AND DECAY.--By a mystery we can not understand, life is linked with
death, and out of the decay of our bodies they, day by day, spring afresh.
At last the vital force which has held death and decay in bondage, and
compelled them to minister to our growth, and to serve the needs of our
life, faints and yields the struggle. These powers which have so long time
been our servants, gather about our dying couch, and their last offices
usher us into the new life and the grander possibilities of the world to
come. This last birth, we who see the fading, not the dawning, life, call
death.

"O Father! grant Thy love divine,
To make these mystic temples Thine,
When wasting age and wearying strife
Have sapp'd the leaning walls of life;
When darkness gathers over all,
And the last tottering pillars fall,
Take the poor dust Thy mercy warms,
And mold it into heavenly forms."

HOLMES.

HINTS ABOUT THE SICK ROOM

A SICK ROOM should be the lightest and cheeriest in the house. A small,
close, dark bedroom or a recess is bad enough for one in health, but
unendurable for a sick person. In a case of fever, and in many acute
diseases, it should be remote from the noise of the family; but when one
is recovering from an accident, and in all attacks where quiet is not
needed, the patient may be where he can amuse himself by watching the
movements of the household, or looking out upon the street.

_The ventilation must be thorough._ Bad air will poison both the sick
and the well. A fireplace is, therefore, desirable. Windows should open
easily. By carefully protecting the patient with extra blankets, the room
may be frequently aired. If there be no direct draught, much may be done
to change the air, by simply swinging an outer door to and fro many times.

A bare floor, with strips of carpet here and there to deaden noise, is
cleanest, and keeps the air freest from dust. Cane-bottomed chairs are
preferable to upholstered ones. All unnecessary furniture should be
removed out of the way. A straw bed or a mattress is better than feathers.
The bed hangings, lace curtains, etc., should be taken down. Creaking
hinges should be oiled. Sperm candles are better than kerosene lamps.

_Never whisper in a sick room._ All necessary conversation should be
carried on in the usual tone of voice. Do not call a physician
unnecessarily, but if one be employed, _obey his directions
implicitly_. Never give nostrums overofficious friends may suggest. Do
not allow visitors to see the patient, except it be necessary. Never
bustle about the room, nor go on tiptoe, but move in a quiet, ordinary
way. Do not keep the bottles in the continued sight of the sick person.
Never let drinking water stand in the room.

Do not raise the patient's head to drink, but have a cup with a long
spout, or use a bent tube, or even a straw. Do not tempt the appetite when
it craves no food. Bathe frequently, but let the physician prescribe the
method. Give written directions to the watchers. Have all medicines
carefully marked. Remove all soiled clothing, etc., at once from the room.
Change the linen much oftener than in health. When you wish to change the
sheets, and the patient is unable to rise, roll the under sheet tightly
lengthwise to the middle of the bed; put on the clean sheet, with half its
width folded up, closely to the other roll; lift the patient on to the
newly-made part, remove the soiled sheet, and then spread oat the clean
one.

DISINFECTANTS.

Remember, first, that deodorizers and disinfectants are not the same. A
bad smell, for instance, may be smothered by some more powerful odor,
while its cause remains uninfluenced. Bear also in mind the fact that no
deodorizer and no disinfectant can take the place of perfect cleanliness
and thorough ventilation. No purifyer can rival the oxygen contained in
strong and continued currents of fresh, cold air, and every disinfectant
finds an indispensable ally in floods of scalding water.

An excellent disinfectant may be made by dissolving in a pail of water
either of the following: (1), a quarter of a pound of sulphate of zinc and
two ounces of common salt for each gallon of water; (2), a pound and a
half of copperas, for each gallon of water. Towels, bed linen,
handkerchiefs, etc., should be soaked at least an hour, in a solution of
the first kind, and then be boiled, before washing. [Footnote: It is
_best_ to burn all articles which have been in contact with persons
sick with contagious or infectious diseases.

In using the zinc solution, place the articles in it as soon as they are
removed from the patient, and before they are taken from the room; if
practicable, have the solution boiling hot at the time. In fumigating
apartments, all the openings should be made as nearly air-tight as
possible. The articles to be included in the fumigation should be so
exposed and spread out that the sulphurous vapor may penetrate every
portion of them. For a room about ten feet square, at least two pounds of
sulphur should be used; for larger rooms, proportionally increased
quantities. Put the sulphur in iron pans supported upon bricks placed in
washtubs containing a little water, set it on fire by hot coals or with
the aid of a spoonful of alcohol, or by a long fuse set on train as the
last opening to the room is closed. Allow the apartment to remain sealed
for twenty-four hours. Great care should be taken not to inhale the
poisonous fumes in firing the sulphur. After the fumigation, allow free
currents of air to pass through the apartment; expose all movable articles
for as long time as may be to the sun and the wind out of doors; beat and
shake the carpets, hangings, pillows, etc.

The disinfectants and the instructions for using them, as given above, are
mainly those recommended by the National Board of Health.] Vaults, drains,
vessels used in the sick room, etc., should be disinfected by a solution
of the second kind; chloride of lime may also be used for the same
purpose. Rooms, furniture, and articles that can not be treated with the
solution of the first kind, should be thoroughly fumigated with burning
sulphur. Where walls are unpapered, re-whitewash with pure, freshly
slacked quicklime, adding one pint of the best fluid carbolic acid to
every gallon of the fluid whitewash. Powdered stone lime sprinkled on
foul, wet places, or placed in pans in damp rooms, will absorb the
moisture; and dry, fresh charcoal powder may be combined with it to absorb
noxious gases.

WHAT TO DO TILL THE DOCTOR COMES.

The following instructions are intended simply to aid in an emergency.
When accidents or a sudden severe illness occur, there is necessarily, in
most cases, a longer or shorter interval before a physician can arrive.
These moments are often very precious, and life may depend upon a little
knowledge and much self-possession. The instructions are therefore given
as briefly as possible, that they may be easily carried in the memory. A
few suggestions in regard to common ailments are included.

BURNS.--When a person's clothes catch fire, quickly lay him on the ground,
wrap him in a coat, mat, shawl, carpet, or in his own garments, as best
you can to extinguish the flame. Pour on plenty of water till the half-
burned clothing is cooled. Then carry the sufferer to a warm room, lay him
on a table or a carpeted floor, and with a sharp knife or scissors remove
his clothing.

The treatment of a burn consists in protecting from the air. [Footnote: It
is a great mistake to suppose that salves will "draw out the fire" of a
burn, or heal a bruise or cut. The vital force must unite the divided
tissue by the deposit of material and the formation of new cells.] An
excellent remedy is to apply soft cloths kept wet with sweet oil, or with
tepid water _which contains all the "cooking soda" that it will
dissolve_. Afterward dress the wound with carbolic acid salve. Wrap a
dry bandage upon the outside. Then remove the patient to a bed and cover
warmly. [Footnote: In case of a large burn, lose no delay in bringing a
physician. If a burn be near a joint or on the face, even if small, let a
doctor see it, and do not be in any hurry about having it healed. Remember
that with all the care and skill which can be used, contractions will
sometimes take place. The danger to life from a burn or scald is not in
proportion to its severity, but to its extent--that is, a small part, such
as a hand or a foot, may be burned so deeply as to cripple it for life,
and yet not much endanger the general health; but a slight amount of
burning, a mere scorching, over two thirds of the body, may prove fatal.--
HOPE.] Apply cool water to a small burn till the smart ceases, and then
cover with ointment. Do not remove the dressings until they become stiff
and irritating; then take them from a part at a time; dress and cover
again quickly.

CUTS, WOUNDS, ETC.--The method of stopping the bleeding has been described
on page 128. If an artery is severed, a physician should be called at
once. If the bleeding is not profuse, apply cold water until it ceases,
dry the skin, draw the edges of the wound together, and secure them by
strips of adhesive plaster. Protect with an outer bandage. This dressing
should remain for several days. In the meantime wet it frequently with
cool water to subdue inflammation. When suppuration begins, wash
occasionally with tepid water and Castile soap.

Dr. Woodbridge, of New York, in a recent address, gave the following
directions as to "What to do in case of a sudden wound when the surgeon is
not at hand." "An experienced person would naturally close the lips of the
wound as quickly as possible, and apply a bandage. If the wound is
bleeding freely, but no artery is spouting blood, the first thing to be
done is to wash it with water at an ordinary temperature. To every pint of
water add either five grains of corrosive sublimate, or two and a half
teaspoonfuls of carbolic acid. If the acid is used, add two tablespoonfuls
of glycerine, to prevent its irritating the wound. If there is neither of
these articles in the house, add four tablespoonfuls of borax to the
water. Wash the wound, close it, and apply a compress of a folded square
of cotton or linen. Wet it in the solution used for washing the wound and
bandage quickly and firmly. If the bleeding is profuse, a sponge dipped in
very hot water and wrung out in a dry cloth should be applied as quickly
as possible. If this is not available, use ice, or cloths wrung out in ice
water. If a large vein or artery is spouting, it must be stopped at once
by compression. This may be done by a rubber tube wound around the arm
tightly above the elbow or above the knee, where the pulse is felt to
beat; or an improvised 'tourniquet' may be used. A hard apple or a stone
is placed in a folded handkerchief, and rolled firmly in place. This
bandage is applied so that the hard object rests on the point where the
artery beats, and is then tied loosely around the arm. A stick is thrust
through the loose bandage and turned till the flow of blood ceases."

BLEEDING FROM THE NOSE is rarely dangerous, and often beneficial. When it
becomes necessary to stop it, sit upright and compress the nostrils
between the thumb and forefinger, or with the thumb press upward upon the
upper lip. A piece of ice, a snowball, or a compress wet with cold water
may be applied to the back of the neck.

A SPRAIN [Footnote: "A sprain," says Dr. Hope, in that admirable little
book entitled _Till the Doctor comes and How to help Him_, "is a very
painful and very serious thing. When you consider that from the tips of
the fingers to the wrist, or from the ends of the toes to the leg, there
are not less than thirty separate bones, all tied together with straps,
cords, and elastic bands, and about twenty hinges, all to be kept in good
working order, you will not wonder at sprains being frequent and sometimes
serious."] is often more painful and dangerous than a dislocation. Wrap
the injured part in flannels wrung out of hot water, and cover with a dry
bandage, or, better, with oiled silk. Liniments and stimulating
applications are injurious in the first stages, but useful when the
inflammation is subdued. _Do not let the limb hang down, keep the joint
still_. Without attention to these points, no remedies are likely to be
of much service. A sprained limb must be kept quiet, even after all pain
has ceased. If used too soon, dangerous consequences may ensue. Many
instances have been known in which, from premature use of an injured limb,
the inflammation has been renewed and made chronic, the bones at the joint
have become permanently diseased, and amputation has been necessitated.

DIARRHEA, CHOLERA MORBUS, ETC., are often caused by eating indigestible or
tainted food, such as unripe or decaying fruit, or stale vegetables; or by
drinking impure water or poisoned milk (see p. 321). Sometimes the
disturbance may be traced to a checking of the perspiration; but more
frequently to peculiar conditions of the atmosphere, especially in large
cities. Such diseases are most prevalent in humid weather, when the days
are hot and the nights cold and moist. Especial attention should at such
times be paid to the diet. If an attack comes on, ascertain, if possible,
its cause. You can thereby aid your physician, and, if the cause be
removable, can protect the rest of the household. If the limbs are cold,
take a hot bath, followed by a thorough rubbing. Then go to bed and lie
quietly on the back. In ordinary cases, rest is better than medicine. If
there be pain, have flannels wrung out of hot water applied to the
abdomen. [Footnote: If it be difficult to manage the foments, lay a hot
plate over the flannels and cover with some protection. By having a change
of hot plates, the foments can be kept at a uniform high temperature. This
plan will be found useful in all cases where foments are needed.] A
mustard poultice will serve the same purpose if more convenient. Eat no
fruit, vegetables, pastry, or pork. Use water sparingly. If much thirst
exist, give small pieces of ice, or limited quantities of cold tea or
toast water. Take particular pains with the diet for some days after the
bowel irritation has ceased.

CROUP.--There are two kinds of croup--true and false. True croup comes on
gradually, and is less likely to excite alarm than false croup, which
comes on suddenly. True croup is attended with fever and false membrane in
the throat; false croup is not attended with fever or false membrane. True
croup is almost always fatal in four or five days; false croup recovers,
but is liable to come on again. The great majority of cases of the so-
called croup are simply cases of spasm of the glottis. "Croupy children"
are those who are liable to these attacks of false croup, which are most
frequent during the period of teething.--DR. GEO. M. BEARD. Croup occurs
commonly in children between the ages of two and seven years. At this
period, if a child has a hollow cough, with more or less fever, flushed
face, red watery eyes, and especially _if it have a hoarse voice, and
show signs of uneasiness about the throat_, send at once for a doctor.
Induce mild vomiting by doses of syrup of ipecac. Put the feet in a hot
mustard-and-water bath. Apply hot fomentations, rapidly renewed, to the
chest and throat. A "croupy" child should be carefully shielded from all
physical excitation, sudden waking from sleep, and any punishment that
tends to awaken intense fear or terror. Irritation of the air passages
through faulty swallowing in drinking hastily, should be guarded against.
Good pure air, warm clothing, and a nourishing diet are indispensable.

COMMON SORE THROAT.--Wrap the neck in a wet bandage, and cover with
flannel or a clean woolen stocking. Gargle the throat frequently with a
solution of a teaspoonful of salt in a pint of water, or thirty grains of
chlorate of potash in a wineglass of water.

FITS, APOPLEXY, EPILEPSY, ETC.--These call for immediate action and prompt
medical attendance. Children who are teething, or troubled with intestinal
worms, or from various causes, are sometimes suddenly seized with
convulsions. Apply cloths wet in cold water--or, better still, ice wrapped
in oiled silk--to the head, and _especially to the back of the neck_,
taking care, however, that the ice or wet cloths do not remain too long.
Apply mustard plasters to the stomach and legs. A full hot bath is
excellent if the cold applications fail. Endeavor to induce vomiting. Seek
to determine the cause, and consult with your physician for further
guidance.

Apoplexy may be distinguished from a fainting fit by the red face, hot
skin, and labored breathing; whereas, in a faint, the face and lips lose
color, and the skin becomes cold. In many cases, death follows so quickly
upon an apoplectic seizure, that little effectual service can be given.
Call the nearest physician, loosen the clothing, and raise the head and
shoulders, taking care not to bend the head forward on the neck. Keep the
head cool. Do not move the patient unnecessarily.

In a common fainting fit, give the patient as much air as possible. Lay
him flat upon the floor or ground, and keep the crowd away.

All that can be done in a fit of epilepsy is to prevent the patient from
injuring himself; especially put something in his mouth to keep him from
biting his tongue. A cork, a piece of India rubber, or even a tightly-
rolled handkerchief, placed between the teeth will answer this purpose.
Give the sufferer fresh air; loosen his clothing, and place him in a
comfortable position. Epilepsy may be due to various causes,--improper
diet, overexcitement, etc. Consult with a physician, and study to avoid
the occasion.

CONCUSSION OF THE BRAIN generally arises from some contusion of the head,
from violent blows, or from a shock received by the whole body in
consequence of falling from a height. In any case of injury to the head
where insensibility ensues, a doctor should be called at once. Remove the
patient to a quiet room; loosen his clothing; strive to restore
circulation by gentle friction, using the hand or a cloth for this
purpose; apply cold water to the head, and, if the patient's body be cold
and his skin clammy, put hot bottles at his feet. Ammonia may be
cautiously held to the nose. Beyond this, it is not safe for a non-
professional to go, in case of a severe injury to the head. Concussion is
more or less serious, according to the injury which the brain has
sustained; but even in slight cases, when a temporary dizziness appears to
be the only result, careful treatment should be observed both at the time
of the injury and afterward. Cases of head injury are often more grave in
their consequences than in their immediate symptoms. Sometimes the patient
appears to be getting better when really he is worse. Rest and quiet
should be observed for several weeks after an accident which has in any
way affected the brain.

TOOTHACHE AND EARACHE.--Insert in the hollow tooth cotton wet with
laudanum, spirits of camphor, or chloroform. When the nerve is exposed,
wet it with creosote or carbolic acid. Hot cloths or a hot brick wrapped
in cloth and held to the face will often relieve the toothache. In a
similar manner treat the ear, wetting the cloth in hot water, and letting
the vapor pass into the ear.

CHOKING.--Ordinarily a smart blow between the shoulders, causing a
compression of the chest and a sudden expulsion of the air from the lungs,
will throw out the offending substance. If the person can swallow, and the
object be small, give plenty of bread or potato, and water to wash it
down. Press upon the tongue with a spoon, when, perhaps, you may see the
object, and draw it out with your thumb and finger, or a blunt pair of
scissors. If neither of these remedies avail, give an emetic of syrup of
ipecac or mustard and warm water.

FROSTBITES are frequently so sudden that one is not aware when they occur.
In Canada it is not uncommon for persons meeting in the street to say,
"Mind, sir, your nose looks whitish." The blood cools and runs slowly, and
the blood vessels become choked and swollen. _Keep from the heat_.
Rub the part quickly with snow, if necessary for hours, till the natural
color is restored. If one is benumbed with cold, take him into a cold
room, remove the wet clothes, rub the body dry, cover with blankets, and
give a little warm tea or other suitable drink. On recovering, let him be
brought to a fire gradually. [Footnote: If you are caught in a snowstorm,
look for a snow bank in the lee of a hill, or a wood out of the wind, or a
hollow in the plain filled with snow. Scrape out a hole big enough to
creep into, and the drifting snow will keep you warm. Men and animals have
been preserved after days of such imprisonment. Remember that if you give
way to sleep in the open field, you will never awake.]

FEVERS, and many acute diseases, are often preceded by a loss of appetite,
headache, shivering, "pains in the bones," indisposition to work, etc. In
such cases, sponge with tepid water, and rub the body till all aglow. Go
to bed, place hot bricks to the feet, take nothing but a little gruel or
beef tea, and drink moderately of warm, cream-of-tartar water. If you do
not feel better the next morning, call a physician. If that be impossible,
take a dose of castor oil or Epsom salts.

SUNSTROKE is a sudden prostration caused by intense heat. The same effect
is produced by the burning rays of the sun and the fierce fire of a
furnace. When a person falls under such circumstance, place your hand on
his chest. If the skin be cool and moist, it is not a sunstroke; but if it
be dry and "biting hot," there can be no mistake. Time is now precious. At
once carry the sufferer to the nearest pump or hydrant, and dash cold
water on the head and chest until consciousness is restored.--DR. H. C.
WOOD.

To prevent sunstroke, wear a porous hat, and in the top of it place a wet
handkerchief; also drink freely of water, not ice cold, to induce abundant
perspiration.

ASPHYXIA, or apparent death, whether produced by drowning, suffocation,
bad air, or coal gas, requires very similar treatment. Send immediately
for blankets, dry clothing, and a physician. Treat upon the spot, if the
weather be not too unfavorable.

1. Loosen the clothing about the neck and chest, separate the jaws, and
place between them a cork or bit of wood.

2. Turn the patient on his face, place his arm under his forehead to raise
the head, and press heavily with both hands upon the ribs to squeeze out
the water.

3. Place the patient on his back, wipe out the mouth and nostrils, and
secure the tongue from falling backward over the throat. Kneel at his
head, grasp his arms firmly above the elbows, and pull them gently upward
until they meet over the head, in order to draw air into the lungs;
reverse this movement to expel the air. Repeat the process about fifteen
times per minute. Alternate pressure upon the chest, and blowing air into
the mouth through a quill or with a pair of bellows, may aid your efforts.
Use snuff or smelling salts, or pass hartshorn under the nose. Do not lose
hope quickly. Life has been restored after five hours of suspended
animation. [Footnote: Another simple method of artificial respiration is
described in the _British Medical Journal_. The body of the patient
is laid on the back, with clothes loosened, and the mouth and nose wiped;
two bystanders pass their right hands under the body at the level of the
waist, and grasp each other's hand, then raise the body until the tips of
the fingers and the toes of the subject alone touch the ground; count
fifteen rapidly; then lower the body flat to the ground, and press the
elbows to the side hard; count fifteen again; then raise the body again
for the same length of time; and so on, alternately raising and lowering.
The head, arms, and legs are to be allowed to dangle down freely when the
body is raised.]

4. When respiration is established, wrap the patient in dry, warm clothes,
and rub the limbs under the blankets or over the dry clothing
energetically _toward the heart_. Apply heated flannels, bottles of
hot water, etc., to the limbs, and mustard plasters [Footnote: The best
mustard poultice is the paper plaster now sold by every druggist. It is
always ready, and can be carried by a traveler. It has only to be dipped
in water, and applied at once.] to the chest.

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