Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1898-06-02

of some constitutional disorder. such as
govt, diabetes or Bright's disease: ana
neurotic hlccoughs have their primary
causes IN the nerve system, often accom-
pahv'hs nerve shock, hysteria, or cpl
lcpSy. OF the three varieties the imita-
| tive hiccough yields most readily to
treatment, and the neurotc Is the most
obstinate Almost all cases of persistent
Mccoughs are neurotic, and nervous hic-
cough has even been known to become
l epidemic. The latter fact opens up Nistas
OF awful possibility. Epidemic hysteria
IS hoarding-school speciality, and Is one
Oh OF, i me mos. most exasperating problems with
winch the teacher has to deal. one In
vertebrate glrl with Il letter from nome
can bowl over Il whole school, if the girls
happen TO be In receptive mood; and moth
lnS put Spartan treatment will restore
reason and order Now, if the hysteria
We're accompanied by epidemic hiccoush-
which medical authorities assure US
would be quite possibe-thcre would be
nothins TO do but follow the example of
famous German boarding school. which.
when Il hystera epidemic broke out
among its stolid German madchcn, col
| lapsed in mystiiication and despair and
closed its doors. The periodic Jersey
cases of hiccough which excite the med
| zeal and journalistic worlds. are usually
| ncurotlc-a fact that seems natural and
| easily explained on the theory that life
IN Jersey must be a nerve-wearing eXpe-
riencc.
The number of remedies for hiccoughs
|
hasn't a monopoly of them An obstinate
| case of hiccoughs in the family must be
nearly as exciting as Il fire, for. as soon
| as the disease assumes serious char
! act"r the newspapers notice 1t, and COM
mentS upon it so out through the coun-
! try. Then letters and kilograms begin to
! pour in upon the victim. In every out of
| the way corner of the country is some
one VINO has sure cure for hiccoughS
ana Is charitable enough to want to re-
lleFe the sufferer. During Il recent serl-
Gus case of hiccouShs near New York
| hundreds of suggestions were received
from unknown people. and the list of pre-
scriptions was intensely funny, though
me family WAS too anxious to appreciate
the humor. However, the remedy that
! was most often recommended, even by
| those outside the medical world was
amyl nitrate, which is one of the ..lc-
| cough medicines most valued by physi-
| clans.
Medical science recognizes various
| classes of treatment for hiccouehs. and
| doctors talk profoundly of anti-spasmodic
empirical and physiological methods.
| of remedies are tried with beautiful inn
| partiality. and even the unscentifc sug-
| Sestions of old ladies are not scorned
Anti-spasmodc remedies include choral
| amNl nitrate cocaine, and morphine. In
| ease of inflammation local bleeding.
! lceches, and ice applications are tried:
| ana II the trouble is due to gaStritis.
/ hiSmuth, ma2nesia. and cocaine are val
! liable. If the hccougnS are of the imi-
! tatiVe variety the necessity is to remove
! the cause of irritation. That is not al
ways 50 easy as it sounds, but it is safe
| thing to give dose of castor oil on faith.
| Neurotlc hccOughS. being nervous
| affection, require nerve treatment. Va
! lerian and asafoctida are given, but one
! of the most common methods of treat
| ment is to raise the PATIENTS arms above
! his head and then bring strong pressure
! TO bear on the phrenic nerve. which is
| located near the collar bone. 1t is fire.
,tlI non h h41t oil .I,r
| scientific treatment fails some one OF the
simpler empirical remedies will effect
| cure: and one of these remedies has had
| Z long and honorable career. for one finds
| mention of it as far back as the time of
| Plato. HiCCOuGhS are no reSpccterS Of
persons. and evidently did not hesitate to
attack even the noble AthenianS: fer i'll
| PlatoS symposium one reads that the
| physician EtyXimachus recommended to
Aristophanes who had hiccoughs that he
should hold his breath or garsle with cold
| water, and if the hiccoughS would not
yield to that treatment he must tickle his
| nose until he sncezed. TWO Snoezes were
warranted to rout the enemy. Those
| same old remedies are still used; and
| only short time ago 4 pinch of snuff
and the resultant sneezins cured d per
sistcnt case of neurotic hicCouShs which
! had for twelve days dcGgd all scientific
treatment. Raw whiskoy and hot brandy
are among the hiccough remedies: 50 are
salt and vinegar salt and lemon and red
pepper tea-Which is given on the prinCi-
pie that to lose ones breath is the same
thing to hold it,
some physicians advise "rhythmical
protrusion of the tongue" which, being
Interpreted. means repeatedly sticking
out ones tongue as far as possible and
drawing it back again. Considerable sat
iSfactiou as well as hiccou@h cure might
he had from that treatment if the pa
ticnt could have his dearest foe in front
Of him.
Continued and rapid swallowing is am
other remedy, and after holding the
breath. is perhaps the one most unlVPr-
| sally known. Fifteen swallows of water
without brcathing' being invariably tried
; in light case of hiccouGhs. y mustard
plaster over the stomach is sometimes
good for hiCc0ughS: a severe fright Is Il
heroic remedy. and outside of the prov
incp Of medicine, there are incantations
and spells which are infallible.
II one viii but hold his left arm above
his head and say slowly, "llicCough, hiC-
cough. I'm your brother. Leave me and
take another" the hccou@h's chances
| his ears and chants. De dcbbil done gib
me desc hickups; but de Dressed Lawd
@oin skccr 'cm away. Come LaWd, come
snatch en- the curse will depart in
haste. There are Afro-American tradi-
tons. however. of cases where the cVi!
there's danger in that experiment.
The number of cases Of hccoughS end
ing fatally Is not very large. and even in
those cases. the death isn't charged up
to hiccoughs. for physicians explain Seri-
ouslv that the people don't die of hic-
coughs but of the exhaustion caused by
| hiccoughs. That is an interesting dis
tinction but ii doesn't make much differ
enur i'm the situation of the Nictim.-NcW
York Sun.
cuocucn cpAppOWcOp,c NERVES