St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1890-08-10
HAVE YOU HEADACHE?
It Is a Very Prevalent and
Most Annoying Com
plant.
It's Many Different Forms
Causes, Nature and Pre-
vention.
What 1t Originates in Not
Generally Recognized by
the People.
Difficulties in It's Treatment
and Suggestions as to
Remedies.


which at first seem to indicate a trouble
in some one part Of the system, may
really have their origin in another and
distant part, or be the manifestations
Of a general disturbance. Headache is
frequent illustration of this fact, and
beyond doubt the pain is far more often
due to disease or disorder occurring
within the body than it is to trouble in
OF about the head. 1t follows therefore
that the causes of headache are innum-
cradle. Laymen are familiar with some
of them, and wider knowledge in this
direction would lessen much the suffer
ing from this distressing complaint to
which very many people are frequent
victims and none are strangers.
As might be expected, considering its
manifold causes and individual peculi-
arities. headache never appears twice III
identcally the same form. In every
attack there is something distinctive.
Beyond this there are quite radically
different kinds of headache. AS, for
instance. it is sometimes deep-seated
and sometimes superficial. In one at
tack it is constant for hours, and the
pain is fixed in certain place. while III
another it comes and goes at short inter-
walls, and shifts from point too point.
Then there are many graduates of pain.
it beng in one case Of the most violent
and throbbing character, while in an
other it is scarcely more than trifling
discomfort. Headache at times exhibits
other characteristics, and it is not nee
eSSary to describe them. In a very
great degree these peculiarltieS depend
upon the causes. A common form of
headache is that which occurs when the
circulation of the blood is disturbed. 1t
is one of the earlieStsymptOmS of fever,
and is generally measured by the inten-
sitv of the fever. When the fever runs
high the pain is usually violent, where
as in mild febrile attacks it is seldom
very severe.
Headache also occurs as consequence
of changes in circulation which are
chronic in character. AS, for instance,
we have what is called malarial head
ache. The true form is neuralgia in
character. and occurs in parOXySmS.
Chill and fever are sometimes aSSoci-
ated with this headache. but oftentlmes
the latter appears alone. The pain is
felt Just over one of the eyes and from
there radiateS to surrounding parts. 1t
comes on suddenly and lasts from five
to ten hours, and goes away almost as
abruptly as it came on. 1t is often so
intense that the sufferer is fairly driven
wild by it. and there are but few neu-
ralgias which SO obstinately resist treat
ment. In some cases attacks of
pain occur every day, in others
every second day. Its occurrence at
quite regular intervals stamps it
as a relative to chill and fever. And
it yields TO the treatment which con-
quers them-namely, quinine. Again,
malarial subjects are often the victims
Of headache, which is less severe than
the true form just described, and is
lacking in paroXySmal character. The
tendency to this milder form exists
within such patients, but to develop it
there must be some fault beyond the
mere malarial faint. In other words, as
long as the malarial faint alone is pres
ent and the subject is otherwise fairly
well, he is not likely to suffer from the
form of headache in question; but let
his blood become poor, his digestive or
ganS or others of Importance become
disturbed, and the pain comes on.
One of the most common varieties OF
headache is known as the neuralgia.
The name is expressive of its distinctive
features. 1t is scarcely possible to mis-
take all attack of it tor the true malarlal
paroXySmal, nor is it always limited to
one particular point. AS rule, it is
shifting, and will be felt in one place
for a few seconds or minutes, and then,
on the instant, will disappear, to quickly
reappear in some other place. Some
subjects to this form of headache are
of what is known as the neuralgia
temperament, which means that they
are frequent victims to neuralgia pains
in some parts of the body or head, eX-
listing in the absence of disease and ap-
parently causeleSs. Neuralgia head
aches are the expression of an immense
number of irregularities and diseases.
Decayed teeth are frequent causes;
and in not a few instances severe head
aches of this sort are clearly due to
teeth so slightly decayed that only
dentist can detect the defect. Head
aches, especially those in which the
pain is felt most in the forehead, are
frequently caused by inequalities in
the eye. And often very slight defects,
scarcely appreciate to the vision, are
sufficient to cause them. Many persons
have one normal eye, while the other
is slightly abnormal. In such cases
there is considerable strain if the eyes
are used much in reading. which is
especially liable to cause headache.
The only remedy in these cases is, of
course, proper pair of glasses. Head
ache from defective sight is not always
limited to the region of the forehead.
for sick headache is often associated
with it.
Headache is also due to troubles with
in the nose and ears Every one knows
that a pain in the forehead is very
constant symptom of a common cold, in
which the nasal passages are involved.
There are other affections of these
parts, some to which little OF no impor-
lance Is attached by the victim. which
NAV give rise to the same symptom.
DR.. Brunton says: '.As far as my eX-
perience goes, headache depending
upon disease Of the nose is at the ton of
the head, Just behind the commence
ment Of the hairy scalp, and headache
here should always lead TO an eXamina-
ton of the nose"
But some persons have decayed teeth
and others nasal defects, and yet are
seldom troubled with headache The
reasons for this can scarcely be made
clear 10 laymen. although they are so to
physicians. Whether OF not these in
firmities are TO give rise to headaches
depends much upon other conditions,
particularly those of the nervous sys-
TEN. A person who is suffering from
toothache will often free himself
from it for long time by taking
brisk cathartic. The remedy does
not, of course, act directly upon the at
tected tooth. but its influence is con-
veyed in some way. So, person hav-
Ing decayed teeth OF nasal trouble may
long be spared headache because the
rest of the organizm in intimate rela-
tionship with these parts practically
ignores the disturbance in them. But
let these intimates themselves become
disturbed and their resistance is weak
ened; then, very likely, they will
transmit, or react to, the local
irritation. and headache be
the consequence. This is but a
vague idea of the essential physiological
conditions, but it is. as said, scarcely
possible to make them clear to lay
man. What are called anemic head
aches occur in persons In whom the
blood is nnOr and ScantY. The most fire.