Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1890-07-06
C0UGHSAND SNEEZES.
Some Simple Methods of Dealing
With Sick Room Troubles.
THE EFFECT OF NERVE PRESSURE.
Mechanical and Medical Emetics, and When
and How to Use Them.
PRECAUTIONS DURING CONVALEsCENCE
THE EFFECT OF NERVE PRESSURE.
PRECAUTIONS DURING CONYALESCENCs
WRITTEN FOR THE DIsPArcH.I

| EOh IdB DlbPATCH.l
Nurses have to deal with many cases in
which the effort and muscular contraction
caused by the exertions of smelling, cough
ing and hiccoughing are very weakening
and trying to the patient. Sneezing is pro-
duced by both external and internal causes,
Externally, by particles of irritating dust in
the air and sometimes by sunlight, or intense
color; internally, by disordered nervous
conditions, and it Is commonly associated
With whooping cough, asthma and gout.
Pressure upon the fifth nerve will often tenn
porarily prevent sneezing-as pinching the
upper lip under the nose. The application
Of mustard to the back of the neck will often
relieve it; and in violent cases an emetic has
been used with good results.
Coughing may be relieved in a variety of
ways-and, again, every attempt may avail
nothing; but the nurse should pay especial
attention to the posture of the person, and
learn that position which most removes the
tendency to frequent coughing. Again,
coughing may be induced by tickling SEN
satlon In the throat, which some very simple
soothing mixture or drink may relieve, as
slippery elm tea, Irish moss, licorice etc.
Then, too, many persons cough from habit.
Many times little exercise of will would
postpone the effort
HINTS FROM BRowN-sEQUARD.
DR.. Brown-Sequard, in one of his lectures
| with reference to a check on Aneezin1
coughing, ETC., says: Coughing can he
stopped by pressing on the nerves. on the
lip In the nelghboi hood of the nose Sneez.
ing may be stopped by the same mechanism.
Pressing IN the neighborhood of ear. right
n n hd
is so also OF h1ccough. but much less so than
for sneezing or coughing. Pressing yery
hard on the top OF the mouth, inside, is also
a means OF stopping coughing. and mauv
say that the will has immense power
Ihere are many other affections asso-
ciated with breathing, which can be stopped
by the same mechanism that stops tbe
hearts action. In spasm of the CLOTHS.
which Is terrible thing in children, and
also In whooping cough, it is possible to
afford relief by throwing cold water on the
feet, or by tickling the soles of the feet
which produces laughter, and at the same
time goes to the matter that is producing
the spasm, and arrests it almost at once. I
would not say that we can always prevent
cough by our will; but IN many instances
these things are possible, and if you remem-
Der that in bronchitis and pneumonia. or
any acute affection of the lungs, hacking or
coughing greatly increases the trouble at
times, you can easily see how important il
is for the patient to try to avoid coughing as
best be can"
RELIEF FOR HICCoUGH.
Hiccough is most frequently a symptom
of stomach or abdominal disturbance. but il
may be purely nerve irritation. inde-
pendently of this. 1t may be produced BY
the presence OF indigeStible or highly spiced
foods in the stomach or by very warm .oods
or drinks. 1t may be slight or persistent.
When occurring in typhoid fever, cholera,
meningitis or peritonitis, it is a grave symp-
tom. The mild attacks are relieved by hold
ing the breath for as long as is consistent.
Very warm applications on the lower por-
tion OF the back of the neck or over the
diaphragm sometimes afford reIieA and
pressing hard upon one of the mustSes of
the neck which reaches from the inner
border Of the upper portion of the first rib
behind the collar bone" upward and back
ward to the vertebra OF the neck has been
known to check this distressing SYMPTOM.
Infants vomit with perfect ease; children
make 1t no difficult task; but adults, in gen.
eral, lind 1t very hard work. In many con-
ditiOns it is well to induce vomiting. This
may be the case when it is desired to dis
lodge false membranes in Group, or diph-
theritic deposits and other substances from
the air passages. Again if poison has been
swallowed frequently the best thing that you
car do is to induce vomiting at once. The
quickest way, when it can be done, is by
forcing the finger of the patient down his
throat, gagging as it is sometimes termed.
Tickling the throat with feather will often
produce vomiting.
SEVERE BUT SUCCESSFUL.
remember being called to a case oflauda.
mum poisoning, when after failing to produce
vomiting in every other way, the following
method was successful: A long whalebone
was procured; around one end of it a rag
was wound, and str ing two feet long fast
ened thoroughly to the rag. The rag was
then pushed gently down the oesopaghus into
the stomach and then the whalebone was
Withdrawn, leaving the string extending
from the rag in the stomach out through the
mouth; gentle jerking of the string few
times secured the necessary irritation and
brought up the mixture Of
laudanum, the strong coffee that had been
given as an antidote to the laudanum, the
and other potions that had failed to
provoke the vomiting, and, of course, the
woman recovered in due time.
The more common emetics are mustard
and water, lukewarm water, wine of ipecac
or syrup of ipecac, salt and water. In case
poisons have been swallowed, physicians
often administer Sulphate of zinc, 10 to 20
grains, dissolved in water, and repeated in
ten minutes, il necessary. The difficulty in
vomiting NAV be overcome if the person
will lower the head and make the attempt
lying down with the face downward resting
the body on the bed and the head on the arm
upon a chair or other support.
ON THE ROAD TO RECOVERY.
When your patient is mending you must
not relinguish your watehfulness. In some
sickness convalescence is sudden; in others
it is gradual. Conyalescents are very apt
not to notice their own weakness, and want
TO do more than they are able. Let the
person first sit up in bed afterward, with
put dressing, in a chair well covered with
Dedclothes; still later let him gradually in-
crease his exertions.
Do not burden the patient with heavy
clothes; neither should you forget to make
hose ne does put on attractive and pretty.
The room should be warmer when the
patient is up than when he is in bed, and
when he first sits up do not let him be bur-
lened with visitors. An invalid can ALWAYS
be politely excused. j. B. 8.
MAcKENZIEJS IEcTTPE Eprc