Arizona weekly enterprise., 1888-04-28
CAUSES OF NEURALGIA.
Some Pertinent Remarks Upon a Yer.
 Painful snhiacf.

blood. is the striking explanation of neuralgia given by the most original nerve pathologist of the present cen- tury. Although we can only become sensible of pain through our nerves, all pain is not neuralgia. This term is applied to a special kind of pain, often occurring without any ascertainable local cause, but freqently referable to certain morbid conditions, the removal of which will remove the pain likewise.
 The nervous system has been aptlv compared to telegraph circuit. The brain is the central office, from and to which the wires-the nerves-lead. The nerves. which conduct sensations from the various termini to the brain are sensitive nerves, those which convey impressions from the brain to the peri phery are nerves of motion. It is the first class or sensitive nerves that are affected in neuralgia.
 Pressure. inflammation or injury of the nerves may cause neuralgia. Certain poisons circulating in the blood, such as the malarial, rheumatic, or gouty poison, may also cause it. In other eases it is due to simply poverty of the blood; these are often extremely diff cult to relieve. and in many such cases good teeth have been sacrificed under the belief that the neuralgia was due to a decayed 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 and of the thighs are most frequent. The first is very liable to be manifestation of malaria. cold or de- fective 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. It not rarely happens that after an amputated stump has healed ihe nerves of the stump being compressed in the scar. become exceedingly pain ful. Cautiously 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 hal been amputa- ed above the elbow referred the exuui- 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 sal He had more pain in the foot which ain't, than in the foot which are" This was terse way of saying that he. continued to have pain in the fo t which he had lost on the battlefield many years before.
 The explanation of this consists in the fact that the terminal filaments of a nerve are it's 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 it's continuity the sensation is often referred to the terminal ends Every one who has struck his ''cr,,zy bone-the point above the elbow where the ulnar nerve is very superficial and easily injured have noticed how much the sensation was affected ill the little finger. the pain being often sreater there than at the point where the blow was struck.
 The treatment of neuralgia must be .uided by it's causes. If carious tooth at the end of the painful nerve, it
 iIould be extracted in order to remove
 ae source of irritation. If the neuralgia rheumatic in origin, the treatment
 ust be directed to the removal of that
 ause. Many sufferers find that the
 abitual wearing of flannel undergar-
 'ents will obviate the attacks of their
 Id enemy to which they were subject
 [ every change of the weather. In tses of sciatica swathing the limb in
 annel dipped in hot water or in spirits
 f turpentine will often cut short an ttack.
 When the nerve pain is due to ma
 rial poison or to general depravement
 the blood, the most brilliant effects
 re secured from the proper use of
 linine, iron and arsenic. In, old
 ironic cases due to inflammation in or Iong the track of the nerve, the per
 ~tent use of electricity will often ef-
 sct cure. The proper use of such a otent remedy requires, however, a
 iorough study of the different cur
 ents employed. as it is easy to see
 nat harm may be done by its inju- ieious employment. Invery obstinate
 ases. especially of sciatica, the nerve las been exposed by the surgeon.
 icked up out If its bed and stretched
 with considerable force. In many
 ;ases this procedure has been com.
 ,letely effectual. In others, piece of
 he nerve has been excised so as to cut off the transmission of painful sensa-
 ions from the seat of disease ~ injury to the brain. This has also sometimes
 esulted in cure.
 When all is doi c, however, some
 ases will resist the utmost efforts of
 loctor and patient combined. The lat ter can often, by watching tine efforts of deleterious influe ces. learn tn avoid them. and thus IL .lder the visits of the physician unn' -essary. .-Lou;SUit ( Courier-JOnrRdL.