The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1877-03-03
Colds and Their Treatment.


of it as something which has been ac-
quired. We say that we have "taken
cold" This is one illustration of the
many inconsistencies of our common
speech, and, we might add, of common
medical parlance. We might just as
well say, we had caught a very bad
heat" or that we had got an erysipelas.
We certainly are all familiar enough
with the feelings and symptoms of IA
cold, to-wit: sore nose, tickling of the
throat, disposition to sneeze, tenderness
Or congestion of the eyes, heaviness and
more or less pain in the head, stiffness of
the muscles of the neck, with sometimes
general sense of WEAKNESS and languor,
and, in bad cases, running at the nose
and violent cough, with feverishness and
chilliness promiscuously mixed.
A cold, or the disordered condition
which we term "cold," may be Occa-
stoned in several ways. The more COM
mon is by overheating the body, and
then placing oneself in such relations
that ne is cooled off too rapidly.
Another common way of contracting a
cold is by exposure to cold, wind, or
draft. Riding in chilly, autumn air,
insutfiCiently clothed, will usually bring
on this disagreeable affection.
| In medical phrase, this disorder is
termed simple capillary congestion; that
is, an over-distension of the blood-vessels
in the part which is said to be the seat
of it. A "cold in the head" means con-
gestion of the Schneiderian membrane
which lines the nostrils. There is no
great difference between local cold and
a local infammation-the latter term be-
ing used chiefly when there is more or
less pain accompanying the congestion.
OF course, prevention is more lmpor-
tant than cure; and, as general rule, we
would advise all persons to avoid sudden
alterations of temperature; that, when a
person is over-warm, he should be care
full not to cool off too rapidly; and, when
very cold, be careful not to go very near
a hot stove or steam coil for the sake of
warming up quickly. Everybody knows
that if part of the body be frozen, to
expose it to heating influences would be
to endanger its structure.
People suffering from chillblains know
this. The safety of frozen part is Sc
cured by thawing it as slowly as possible.
Clothing adapted to the season, sufficient
protection for the feet, especially in cold
weather, will operate in preventive
manner-so will an avoidance of ill-ven-
tilated rooms, particularly rhose used for
public entertainments and assemblages.
Most of our churches, public halls and
theaters are badly constructed with re-
gard to the admission of sufficient sup
ply of fresh air adapted to respiration.
Nothing more effectively prepares the
system for taking cold than impure air
| People 90 to the theater or to concert
The night is a beautiful starlit one, but
the air chilled with frost. The long con-
tinement in the close atmosphere of the
auditorium promotes excessive warmth;
most of the people perspire freely and
are very warm at the close of the exer-
cises. Then, upon going out into the
keen air, they experience a chill; the re-
suit is as should be expected. The next
day, in all its disagreeable effects cold
announces itself, with perhaps a cough,
and a bronchial disease may supervene.
In this way many 'get their deaths"
Fire and clothing should always be
used to the extent demanded by the most
pleasant bodily feelings, provided that
there is an abundant supply of pure air.
but many persons, in the arrangement of
their rooms, try to keep warm by shutting
| the cold air out.
The skin should be kept in very I'M
trammeled state. Anything which
serves to disturb the excretory organs
renders one liable to colds.
ha e IN,
cellent preventive. A warm, tepid or
cool bath once or twice week, or even
daily for some persons who are consti-
tuted in such a way as to sustain it,
would be advantageous. The bath
should be taken in a room which is COM
| fortably warm One of the mistakes of
people is to use water profusely in cold
rooms, particularly in winter-time. Some
persons have brought hydropathy into
| disrepute on account of their fanatical
adherence to cold additions in relations
manifestly absurd.
Treatment Of C0Lds-The best man
agement of case of radical cold is to
abstain from all food and drink for, say,
twenty -four hours, or according to the
severity of the attack. Usually one
days fasting will be sufficient. If there
be much thirst, it may be appeased by
sips of water frequently taken. The
patient should keep quiet and in an
agreeable and pleasant temperature,
with, of course, good air to breathe. If
he feel chilly, stiff or rheumatic a warm
bath or a steam bath will be found use
full. This should not occupy longer
than twenty or twenty-five minutes. Its
object is, of course, to restore the nor
NAL activity of the excretory functions.
Any means of hygienic sort which
will promote perspiration without over
heating the patient are conducive to re-
covery.
If the patient is feverish, nothing is
better than the wet sheet pack for an
hour. This should be carefully man
aged. The sheet may be wet with
warm, tepid, or cool water, according as
it may be agreeable to the patient. If,
however, the wet sheet be imprs cticable,
the next best thing is the tepid or mod
erately-warm bath, say from ninety to
ninety-five degrees, and prolonged for
thirty or forty minutes. When there is
much headache or congestion of the
lungs, as indicated by laborious respira-
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