The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1897-07-14
Cause of Headache.
BY Cyrus EdsoT.' NJ. d., ex.Presidept of the
New York Board Of Health in Ladies
Home journal.

By Cyrus Eds@6. NJ. D., ex:president. of the
New York Board Of Health in Ladies'
Home Journal.
In considering the subject OF headache we
should never lose sight Of the fact that we are
studying merely symptom and not dis
ease. Pam, and especially the pain under con.
sileration, Is a danger signal set by nature TO
warn the sufferer that deep seateJ malddy
threatens the body. A celebrated physician
once called pain 1.-THE prayer Of a nerve for
healthy blood" No truer saying was ever
uttered. A sufferer from headaches that re-
eur and persist should always consult com
petent hysician, and give him an opportunity
to make careful study of the case. The
cause may not be at once apparent: both
sufferer and doctor may have their patience
sorely tried, but time and thorough study
of the case, eliminating different possible
causes, will finally develop the real cause and
point the road to radical cure. To under
stand the difficulties in tho way of diagnosis
in the cause of headache one should know how
many different kinds are recognized and de-
scribed by medical writer's: Anaemic head
ache: hypersemic or congestive headache;
nervous or cerebral headache, which is sub
divided into two kinds-cerebro-hyp
and cerebro anaemic headache; toxic head
ache; sympathetic headache; bilious head.
ache, and organic headache.
Headache may be caused, first, by diseased
conditions of the blood second, by nervous
irritation; third by inflammation Of the
nerves of the head or of tissues adjacent to
them. The last cause is the most infrequent,
and is scarcely possible to discuss in an article
of this character. Briefly, however, l would
say it can be generally distinguished from the
other two, both of which are irritative con
ditions, by the fact that pressure over the act
ing parts increases the pain, while in the case
Of Irritative headache pressure more or less
relieves il. A medical axiom is: THE pain
of inflammation is increased bv pressure,
while the pain of irritation is relieved"
The ordinary headache which is 30 ex.
tremely common among the inhabitants Of
our Atlantic seaboard towns is combination
Of the first and second causes. 1t is the out
come of conditions affecting the nerves
through IMPOVERISHED blood containing poison.
Gus matter absorbed from badly digested
food. So.calied liver torpidity nnd the catarrh.
al affections due to our changeable climate
also aid in effecting its spread. Nervous ex.
haustion, due to irregular and fast living plays
an important part in It's causation. Nervous
strain1 especially of the oyes, and infiamed
tissues about the internal bones Of the nose,
are special causes. Nerve irritation, which is
but poorly understood by the general reader,
is prolifio cause Of so-oalled nervous head.
ache.
To understand this one should know that
the nerves terminate throughout the body
i'm the muscles. on tho skin and mucous mem.
brane surfaces-in delicate, sensitive fila.
ments and little round bodies called cor
puscles, which AFFECT the operations Of the
will or control involuntary functions such as
digestion, the hearts action, etc. Continued
irritation of these nerve terminals at any
point in the system will cause headache.
know II no more dangerous practice than
10 treat headache pain blindly with drugs un'
less II be to treat insomnia with scdativos.
Both lines of treatment lead 20 the abuse Of
anodynes and hypnotics, and as usual thing
result in n continued condition Of invalidism.
one very common cause Of headache, which,
N not the only cause, Is, at least a great fac
tor I'm IL, and amcnable 10 home treatment
with medicine, IL constipation. of course,
outdoor exercise is the best possible thing for
permanent cure. IL Is very easy to relieve
most forms of headache by means Of the coal.
tar derivatives. of which so many are In the
drug market These form the basis Of the
many headache cures found ON the drug gsists
shelves. Thor uss ~ not entirely withca;
danger, for they are powerful heart aeprss.