The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1888-02-11
CAUSES OF NEURALGIA.
Some Pertinent Remarks Upon Yer.
Painful subject.


nerve pathologist of the present GEN.
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 aptly
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. 1t 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 equity
poison, may also cause it. In other
cases 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 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.
4 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
full. 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 man whose arm had been amputa-
ted 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 said:
'He had more pain in the foot which
amt, than in the foot which are. ="
This was terse way of saying that he
continued to have a pain in the foot
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 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 in the
little finger, the pain being often
greater there than at the point where
the blow was struck.
The treatment of neuralgia must be
guided by its causes. If carious tooth
is at the end of the painful nerve, ii
should be extracted in order to remove
the source of irritation. If the neuralgia
is rheumatic in origin, the treatment
must be directed to the removal of that
cause. Many sufferers find that the
habtual 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 sciatica 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 OF
along the track of the nerve, the per.
sistent use of electricity will often eff
feet cure. The proper use of such s
potent remedy requires, however, 6
thorough study of the different cur
rents employed, as it is easy to SET
that harm may be done by its inju
dicious employment. In very obstinate
cases, especially of sciatica, the nerve
has been exposed by the surgeon
picked up out of its bed and stretched
with considerable force. In many
cases this procedure has been com
pletely effectual. In others, piece O
the nerve has been eXcsed 50 as to Gu
off the transmission of painful sensa
tions from the seat of disease or injury
to the brain. This has also sometime.
resulted in cure.
When all is done, however, somt
cases will resist the utmost efforts o
doctor and patient combined. The lat
ter can often, by watching the effort