The National tribune., 1890-05-01
CHAPTER LXV.
DIsEAgFe OF ON Aor-fcontinuedl

DISEASES OF OLD AGE continued.
During fatiguing campaign in the high
lands of Mexico, q French cavalry officer Of my
acquaintance was roprimanded by his Colonel
for falling asleep on his horse, and the very
next Sunday his waggish friend, the Chaplain,
preached n sermon on the subject of avoidablo
and unavoidable sins"
If the disorders of the human body were to
be classified in that way, piles, or hemorrhoids,
would often to have been mentioned under the
latter head. The trouble may arise from con-
stpatiom and the excessive use of concentrated
food but is often due to less avoidable causes,
scdentary occupations, tumors of the abdomen,
or accidental irritatiOns of the rectum. The
father OF Frederick the Great carried his con
tempt of eiemnacy to the degree Of disappr0y-
ing the use Of spring wagons, and at last sur
prised the citizens of mis- Capital by the invention
OF sausage. car" rs he called it,-a piece of
timber as thick as a shipmast, and mounted on
massive wheels that could stand tho wear and
tear of n raging gallop over rough country
roads. On this primitive conveyance he made
his staff officers and friends take frequent trips
to his Summer palace of Wu5tCrhausen, whore
free beer and tobacco were expected to indemni
fy them for the hardships Of bestriding that
wooden steed. One of his courtiers, the Aus
TRAN spy SeckendorH, tried to please the King
by pretending to enjoy those gallopades but
confesses that he had to pay the penalty of his
sycophaucy by the development of specially
troublesome kind of hemorrhoids.
Piles caused by mechanical rTitations of that
kind are however, apt to disappear with the
provoking cause, and are not nearly as likely
TO become chronic affections rs the tumOrs
sulting from severe cOnstipati0ns and certain
disorders Of the liver Permanent relief can
sometimes be obtained by radical change of
dietetic habits in other cases the trouble re-
quircs a surgical operation a ligature applied
till the tumor becomes atrophicd; or excision
OF the smaller piles" which result from the
enlargement of the rectal veins. Another pro-
cess, frequently employed by modern special
lists, consists in employing the tumors by means
OF mechanical pressure and then injecting them
with a mixture of glycerine and carbolic acid.
The operation ia not always successful, but has
tho advantage of being expeditions and almost
painless The "piles" remain, bat cease to
enlarge, and in the course OF few weeks be-
como almost calous.
FIsTULA OF THE ANUS.
Hemorrhods sometimes spread inward and
cause all sorts of Obstinate complications. not
easily accessible 10 surgical rcmeiies Division
of the tumors by means of bistoury Ia narrow
flexible lancet may sometimes hasten recovery,
but the specific cure consists in frequent cold
baths and the local application of a strong soIu-
ton Of permangauate of potash. The bowels
at the same time, should be kept open by all
possible means, since straining nj stool is al
most suro to aggravate the trouble to O very
serious degree. A sparng, fluid Diet com
bined with daily sitz- baths, may cause the
fstGla to suhside in the course of month. but
n severe and often almost iutolorable itching
IS not nnfrcquent after. effect and can be re-
lieved most readily by sulphur ointmenis or a
mixture of finely powdered saeratus with
melted mutton tallow or pure lard.
COLD FEET.
Piles, structures of the rcctum and chronic
constipation. are all likely 10 obstruct the cir
enlation Of the veins connecting with those of
the lower extremitics, and thus become an in
direct cause of numbness in the feet and legs
aud an inability Especially at night to keep
the feet comfortably warm. A brisk walk
palliates the trouble. but in bed the feeling of
chilliness often increases to sensation OF
positive pain" as IL the feet were sticking i'm
sackfull of snow" one patient expresses 10.
Nine ont OF ten persons in such cases resort to
the expedient of extra wrappers. wondering
how many more shawls or blankets 10 will take
to get the feet comfortable The function Of bed
clothing. however, Is limited 10 the retention of
animal warmth. and whore the development
of that warmth has in some way been dimn-
ished, the warnest and thickest blankets may
fail 10 supply the deficiency. Artificial warmth,
however. be applied in various efficient
aud inexpensive ways. Hospitals use special
warming pans metal receptacles closed with
screw lid, aud holding from fonr to ten quarts
OF water, but in private households bags full of
heated sand prove. on the whole more service
able. Ordinary bottles are apt to get uncorked
or leaky, and metal substitutes are not always
available. but every housekeeper can procure a
peek of clean sand and heat it in-by install
meats or othcrwiSe-a common baking pan.
stout linen sack, of the kind used for larger
quantities of salt, for instance will smelly hold
two gallons of sand heated 10 u temperature of
100 degrees Fahrenheit. and IL is surprising
how long the contents of that bag will preserve
their caloFic under couple Of stout blankets
An old physician of my acquaintance prefers
animal warmth by proxy, and in Winter goes
TO bed with pet poodle that has learned To
make himself useful in the capacity of a wool
bag, aud sleeps motionless all night on the foot
end of his owners bed. BurTowing animals
foxes, badgers and woodchucks-might be
utilized for similar purpose. and can boast
the accomplishment of being able to breathe
under cover of the heaviest of bed clothing
sLEEPLEssNEss.
Foot-warmiug contrivances are also the best
specific for tho cure of insomnia or chronic
sleepessness. The physiology of sleep has been
studied by actual inspection of the brain of
sleeping man whose skull bones had been par
TALLY removed during "a surgical operation,
and whose cerebral blood vessels looked en-
gorged and Redeemed in daytime-especially
under the influence Of mental excitement
but became pale and iiaccid when the patient
was sound asleep. 1t then occurred 10 the at
tendant physician that sleep might be artf
CHILLY induced by diverting the circulation of
blood from the brain TO the lower extremities
and n series of ingenious experiments fully cor
roborated the correctness of that conclusion.
BY keeping the head cool and surrounding the
feet and legs-perhaps also the hands-with
ealoriic contrvanccs, the sleeplessncss even, of
fever patients would be promptly relieved in
all bat the most obstinate cases aud under or
binary circumstances it sutliced 20 put the pa
tient TO bed in II cool, airy bedroom, and wrap
up his feet in wooden blanket that had been
previously warmed before stove fire. With
such precautions, late suppers prove by no
means irreconciabe with good nights rest.
On the contrary, the process of digestion and
assimilation helps to divert the circulation of
The blood from the brain to the digestive or
gans, and animals after a full meal generally
soon ovinco disposition to sleep or rest.
ITO be c0ntiaued)
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