The citizen. (Frederick City, Md.) 1895-1923, 1895-09-13
TIMELY MEDICAL TOPICS.
A Series of Brief Treatises on
What To Do in Emergencies,
What Not To Do and Other
Hints of Value.
prepared Weekly, tor the Citizen,

prepared Weekly, tor the Citizen.l
DOG BITES
Before the arrival of the doctor.
place strong ligature above the
wound, and have il emptied by cum
ping glass; or, If this cannot be obtain
ed, an ordinary glass tumbler NAV be
made to answer the same purpose: YOU
have only to insert into the tumbler a
piece of lighted paper, aud then apply
it over the bitten surface. The heated
air acts rs suction pump, and draws
up the bitten portion into the tumber.
The after treatment consists in the To-
cal application of strong ammonia
which neutralzes the poison of the
wound. The same method can be
used to advantage in snake bites. Stlm-
plants of ammonia and aromatic spirits
complete the cure, and there are few
cases that do not progress satisfactorily
under this treatment. A physician
asks me if the mosquito has any value.
1t certaidly has great value. 1t acts as
an insect surgeon, and when it bites
extracts not only good blood, but bad
blood also. The mosquito always acts
as "A carrier of malarial poison. In eau
be driven away by kerosine oil freely
applied To doors, windows and castings.
The mosquito can be exterminated by
blowing marshy places and then SOW
ing common salt. The mosquito flies
low, hence places situated upon hills
aud high ground are not frequented
by this flying pest.
APPENDICITIS.
In conclusion we may lay down,
very shortly, few general rules:
l. When the condition of the patient
is fairly good and the abdomen is not
distending, and when there is not
much cholic, let things take their nat
ural course. This advice holds good
for the great majority Of cases.
:. When the abdomen is distending
without previous state of peristaltic
action shown by much collie, aud
when there is tendency to vomiting,
give mixture of magnesia until the
bowels move.
B. Treat distentlon without collie or
vomiting by quinine injections.
4. Quiet excessive peristaltic action
by small doses of morphine given n.y.
podermically.
5. For distention following excessive
peristalss give small dose of NOR
phine, followed in few hours by cas-
tor oil or magnesia.
6. When there is septicemia wash
out the abdomen as soon as the condi-
ton is evident, and treat as above.
Do not get into the habit of calling
septicemia shock, exhaustion or any
such term. Be content to believe that
some mistake has bean made in the
antiseptic precautions, and that addi-
tional care must be taken IN future.
THE ErIoLoGY OF HEADACHE.
In a recent number of the Revue
Generate de Clin9ue ct dc 7herdpu-
tiqne, DR.. S. Vernel, after thorough
study of the subject, says that he is
inclined to attribute all headaches to
an over sensitive candition of the SYM
pathetic nerves controlling the peri
pheral vessels of the Uranium and
brain or to an angeioneusosis. 1t may
be asked at once, he says, how the same
symptoms from the same cause. can be
present in Numerically opposed coudi-
febrile or apyretic DISEASES, for exam
pie. The idea that the seat of pain is
In the corteX has not been substantial
ted, for when cortex is irritated there
is locally only an hallucination of
pam.
HEADACHE.
The real pain is exhibited on some
part of the body. Then if the attack
of ceplialagia is not due to local irrita-
ton of the corteX, the seat of the
trouble must he in the meanings. 1t is
diatation of the vessels of the menin-
ges, causing intra-cranial pressure,
that the pain is due. The vascular di-
latation extends to the minute blood
vessels in the region of the pituitary
body, rupture of which give rise to the
! ipistaXis, from which patients 50 fire.
quently suffer during an attack of
| headache. 1t is clear how this condi-
ton answers for hyperemlc conditions,
! but how does it count for the same
symptoms in anemia? In anemia
there is a qualitative and not quanti-
tative change in the blood, the amount
of fluid in the vessels remaining the
, same. In veritable anemia from ex-
cessive depletion of the system-as
from henlOrrhage or cholera-the con-
dition is different; but from the anemia
concident with neurasthenia hypster-
ia,chlorosis, and so forth. There is, so
far as quantity is concerned, the same
condition as in hyperenia. In anema
the vessels are very prone to dilatation,
producing exaggeration of the intra-
cranial pressure, in consequence of
over eXcitability of the yaso-motor cen-
tres allowing oflocal hyperemias. The
author definitely states that the seat of
pain in headache was always in the
dura mater and not in the cortex; that
the pain is provoked by the compress
sion of the dura mater produced by in
tra-cranial pressure; and that is true of
all headaches, whether of a nervous or
toxic or mechanical origin-such as
diseases of the brain or of the memin-
ges, constipation, etc, or from reflex
origin.