The Olneyville times. (Olneyville [Providence, R.I.]) 1887-1917, 1888-03-10

poison. may also cause il. Ia other
cases IL Is due to simply poverty Of the
blood; these are often extremely Diff
cult 70 relieve. and In many such cases
good teeth have been sacrificed under
the belief that the neuralgia was due
to dccayed molar.
Any sensitive nerve in the body may
be the seat Of neuralgia. Thus it may
occur in the scalp, the face. the chest.
abdominal organs. the thighs. or even
/ the feet. The neuralgias Of the face
and head aud Of the thighs are most
frequent The first is very liable TO be
manifestation Of malaria, cold or de-
fectiye teeth. while sciatica or neural
gia Of the great sensitive nerve of the
thigh and leg is often an expression Of
the rheumatic poison.
A very singular form Of neuralgia is
that affecting the nerves Of amputated
limbs. 1t not rarely happens that after
an amputated stump has healed the
nerves OF the stump being compressed
in the scar. become exceedingly pain
ful. Curiously the pain Is not felt in
the stump, but in the extremity of the
limb which has been amputated. In
one coming under the notice Of the wri-
ter a man whose arm had been amputa.
ted above the elbow referred the exqui-
site pain he felt to the little finger OF the
amputated hand years after the opera
ton. An old one-legged soldier apply
Ing for an increase Of pension said:
''He had more pain in the foot which
amt, than in the foot which are"
This was terse way Of saying that J.
continued 10 have pain in the E,st
which he had lost on the battlefield
many years before.
The explanation Of this consists in
the fact that the terminal faments Of
a nerve are its most sensitive points;
they are the "feelers," the points from
which the sensations start on their
course TO the brain, where they give
notice that something is wrong with its
outlying districts. When the nerve is
injured in its continuity the sensation
Is often referred TO the terminal ends.
Every one who has struck his "crazy
bone-the point above the elbow where
the ulnar nerve is very superficial and
easily injured must have noticed how
much the sensation was affected i'm the
little finger, the pain being often
greater there than at the point where
the blow was struck.
fro of ,I,e;, 4
guided by its causes. Ii carious tooth
is at the end of the painful nerve, it
should be extracted in order to remove
the source of irritation. II the neuralgia
is rheumatic in origin, the treatment
must be directed to the removal of that
cause. Many sufferers find that the
habitual wearing of flannel undergar-
ments will obviate the attacks of their
old enemy To which they were subject
at every change of the weather. In
cases of sciatca swathing the limb in
flannel dipped in hot water or in spirits
Of turpentine will often cut short an
attack.
When the nerve pain is due to ma
larial poison or to general depravement
of the blood. the most brilliant effects
are secured from the proper use of
quinine. iron and arsenic. In old
chronic cases due to inflammation In or
along the track Of tho nerve the per-
sistent use OF electricity will often eff
feet a cure. The proper use of such
potent remedy requires, however. a
thorough study OF the different cur
rents employed, as It is easy to see
that harm may be done bv its inju-
dicious employment. In very obstinate
cases, especially OF sciatica, the nerve
has been exposed by the surgeon.
picked up ont Of its bed and stretched
with considerable force. In many
cases this procedure has been COM
plotely effectual. In others, piece Of
the nerve has been excised so as to cut
off the transmission of painful sensa-
tons from the seat of disease or injury
to the brain. This has also sometimes
resulted in cure.
When all is done. however, some
cases will yesist the utmost efforts Of
doctor and patient combined The lat
ter can often, by watching the efforts
Of deleterious influences, learn tn avoid
them, and thus render the visits Of
the physician unnecessary y..-Louisuilie
Courier-JOurHGL.
A commission of the Paris Academy
of Medicines finds that hydrofluorio
acid. which is highly antiseptic, has
therapeutis action when inhaled. Ii
dissents, however. from the opinion of
glass-workers that the inhalations
cure consumption. but considers that
they may be useful in diphtheria.
According to statistics compiled
there, there was an increase of fifty
per cent in the number of cattle killed
in Kansas City last year; twenty per
per cent of sheep, and ten per cent. Of
hogs The value of cattle handled
there is placed at $50, 100000 The
smount of oleomargarine manufactured
there reached 5000 900 pounds.
The power possessed by flowing
water for Transporting or moving
stones or gravel over which il runs is
greatly augmented by the speed of its
tlow; this power increases as the sixth
power Of the velocity. so that stream
lowino six times faster than another