Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1881-06-11
TREATMENT OF sEA.sICKNEss.
A Topic OF Great Interest to a Host
of People.


A Topic OF Great Interest to q Host
of People.
A visitor TO any OF the outgoing ocean steam.
ers just before sailing finds one topic and one
thought occupying the attention Of the passen-
gers This Is the manner In which their re-
spective stomachs Will endure the motion OF
the me waves: Some. struggling to put brave
apprebensions by silence or by inslncere assur-
ances OF confidence. while others retire to their
state. rooms and calmly and deliberately pre-
OF ocean travel remedies for sea-sickness are
IN not demand, and ply sicians are besieged by
patients eager for specifics against the malady
vised are champagne and md 10Th other ia ai S
holic stimulants. capsicum, cathartics OF
various kinds, bromides, nitrate of amyI
atIopia, Caffeine, pnosphoric and other acids,
electricity, the use Of Ice bags and belts about
me oody: Careful dieting has also been said
that, immense as the ocean travel is, thousands
are yearly prevented from venturing on the
sea by fear OF long and exhauSting sickness
5 FoT the same reason the land routes to the
coast steamers: Many physicians consider
seas1ckness, which Is regarded as disturb
anG d OF tne nervous e censers
views OF leading practitioner and two promi-
nent neurologists have been obtained In re-
gard to the disorder and its treatment
What advice In regard to seasickness would
you give patient going to sea-" was asked of
Dr.. AlOnZo Clark.
=. should tell him to take wash basin into
his stateroom," responded DR.. Clark, cheer.
fully.
"Then there is no remedy?"
c, one eon remedy, yesnto stay ashore" DR..
sick until the millennium comes. The disorder
Is II way puzzle to doctors. 1t Is caused oy
disoTdered action In the brain and nervous
system. and the stomach feels it as part sup
piled with nerves. There Is no perceptible change
IN the nerve tissue, but nerve disturbance, and
probably all the brain is affected. 1t is unac-
the disorder. although this may be owing to
circulatory accommodation. 1 have never
made use OF the various remedies suggested.
S Sasi a Is modified BY low diet, and II
Keep his bed. Food should be taken as con-
stantly as possible, and the best form Is soup
with toasted crackers. Any alcoholic drink
viii soothe some stomachs. The supposed ben
eht to De derived from seasickness amounts to
very little except perhaps in the case OF large
FEEDERS. OF course, land sickness, caused BY
riding backward and In railway cars, Ia prac-
tically the same as seasickness. An instance
has been lately related Of q woman cured by
wearing sheet OF paper over her chest, which
illustrates the power OF faith"
DR.. George NJ. Beard satd "a year ago there
was no disease OF which so little was known
and which was SO tncurable as seasickness,
known and which is so perfectly durable. 1t Is
q functional disease OF the central nervous
system, mainly OF the brain. but sometimes
also OF the spinal cord, and comes from purely
suit OF series OF mild concus1ons No more
dement, can be derived from 1t than from an at
taek oi1yphoia fever Infancy and old age are
severe with the nervoi,s and sensitive. In some
cases there is simply congestion of the brain.
me chief symptoms are headache, backache,
nausea. vomiting, pain in the eyes. mental
depression, neuralgia pains, sleeplessness,
and nervous exhaustion. DR.. F. d. Lente, OF
Florida, first suggested the use OF bromide of
potassium as a preventive of seasickness In
voyages between the north and south, and 1t
Was used with good results. This had also
been recommended by DR.. Barker, who care
led to my developing this treatment for long
voyages and suggesting bromide OF sodium in
large doses Instead OF bromide of potassium.
The former is less irritating to the stomach
and contains more OrOmine than the latter but
when not procurable bromide of potassium
may De used. The patient should take thirty.
oium three times day few days before en-
barking and keep 1t up at sea until the danger
seems TO be past The result aimed at is mild
rendering it less susceptible to the disturbances
caused by the movements of the ship. There
Is great difference In people about the effect,
and the'gIeat point is to know when to stop
to take too little. a few people have an lido
syncrasy against bromide, but there is little or
no danger from its use ii patients Will carefully
"olIn 1o1 euC c1ccpiHtSS duu luuLspUSlJlOQ 1Or
exercise which are the symptoms OF mild bro
miZat1on l have known OF but one failure
from the proper use OF bromides. and l have
here several letters from persons who have
crossed safely by their use. although always
sick before. OF course the drug should be taken
1ntelligently and under competent directions
as there is great difference In different people,
and every case ought to be studied separately
so far as possible
What Is seasickness?' was asked OF DR.. Wm.
A. Hammond.
"Well I should call 1T dtsordnr of tha narv
GUS system"
"Is there any remedy?"
"I can't lay down rules for other people. but
can tell what have found beneficial in my
own case, and that is ten or fifteen drops OF
chloroI0rm On lump sugar, and che use OF pro-
mlde OF pOtaSsium.n-N.Y. Tribune.