Evening capital. (Annapolis, Md.) 1884-1910, 1884-08-12
THE HOME DOCTOR.

SEVERE HIccouGH. DR.. Ruhdorfer
sports case of the above which re-
sisted all remedies for three months, and
which morphia, given hypodermically,
could only check for few hours or
days. At last the hiccough was 50 loud
that the patient could be heard outside
the house. She sat up in bed supported
by her parents; there were dyspnpa and
cyanosis, the head was jerked in all
directions, the pulse was small and fire.
quent, the neck distended. DR.. Rub
dorfer injected a solution of pilocarpine
hydrochlorate, three centigrammes In a
gramme OF water. The hiccough was at
once cured. and has never returned
since.
WHooPING CoUGH.-Dr.J. Coopreider.
of Taylorsville, Ind, writes to the Cana
da Medical Record that he has used the
fluid extract of chestnut leaves for
whooping cough, with great success. He
says: The dose employed is from fifteen
to sixty drops, according to age. If the
child is large enough, / give it in hot
water an infusion, sweetened; to a small
child in simple syrup or elixir. 1t not
only relieves or lightens the paroxysms,
but will actually cure in from four to
five days. | give four to six doses per
day, according to the severity of the case.
If good fresh leaves can be procured, |
make the infusion as "a tea, say two
drachms of the leaves to half pint of
boiling water and give two ounces at a
dose, sweetened with white sugar.
How TO TAKE A Pu4L.-Having motto
Cd IN Il 10
son at meals inclined the head back
wards, as In laughing, while there was
food in the mouth, they were pretty GER
tain to be strangled from ''the foods go
ing the wrong way" / instructed those
of my patients who had difficulty to
swallow pills, to keep the head in the
position they would if eating or swallow
ing at the table-that is, the head inclin-
ed forward, the chin near the breast
and keep it in that position. If small
portion of the saliva be on hand, or a
small quantity of water taken after the pill
is put in the mouth, it will surprise the
patient and crafty the doctor to witness
the facility with which it will be swal-
lowed. To direct the patient to keep
his eyes on his toes, | have found help
to keep the head in the proper position.
ACUTE RHEUMATISM DR. Kinnicutt
gives favorable account of the use Of
oil of wintergreen in seventeen cases of
acute rheumatism. 1t is an essential oil,
and contains ninety per cent. of the
methylether of salicylic acid, and has
marked antiseptic properties. 1t may be
mixed in all proportions with alcohol and
ether, and is slightly soluble in water; it
may be given on sugar or in capsules, or
shaken with two ounces of water in doses
of fifteen minims every two hours. Alb
sorption is rapid, and it is excreted main
ly by the kidneys, and rapidly. The oc-
casional toxic effects of the acid were not
observed; ringing in the ears was of in
frequent occurrence; in only one case was
the slightest gastric disturbance excited,
and that consisted of a single rejection of
the medicine. As with other salicvlates,
the dose should be frequently repeated.
To avoid relapses it should not be given
up too early, but continued in dimin-
ished doses throughout convalescence.
-Four cases of acute rheumatism are re-
ported by DR.. Gottheil; the success was
moderate. From five to ten drops were
given three or four times day. In all
of the cases the swelling. pain, and local
heat rapidly diminished, and the patients
were soon convalescent.