The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1902-03-09

mas been aptly said, the cry of a starv-
ing nerve for food. Usually the patient
Is of an extremely nervous disposition.
sensitive to pain, debilitated dyspeptic
ana anemlc. Often a treatment with
generous diet and cod liver oil will suf-
nee to drive away the pains and aches
ana II a nerve tonic Is needed there is
nothing better than strychnine in small
doses, say 1-64th of a grain three times a
day.
In medicine there are many different
kinds of pain and many degrees Of sensi-
tVeness to pain. Most common Of these
is hyperaesthesia, an exaggerated sensi-
tiyeness to pain. People who are thus
amcted are said to be thin skinned or
a bundle of nerves The thick-skinned
person who laughs at their aches and
pains is really less fortunate, for his SEN
sibilites are blunted and natures danger
signals work less surely An extreme
case of this is seen in one who is in
sensible. 1t is not an uncommon occur
renee for n mustard poultice or & hot
| water bottle to be applied to one who is
| unconscious and severe burns result be-
| cause the warning symptom of pain
| does not signal danger. In cases of apo
| pleXy such lack of sensibility may be
| present, as we might expect but up
| consciousness is not always necessary to
| annul the feeling of pain In severe
! burns, for example. the shock to the
| nervous system may be so great that the
| nerves lose their power to feel sensa ton:
| they are overwhelmed, so to speak by the
| volume of pain, so that they are rem
| dered inactive or are paralyzed tenn
| porarily. Yet this condition is one of
| most serious Danger and fatal import
| The same condition sometimes occurs in
| severe accidents of a crushing nature
| but these, as the shock wears off. are
| followed by aftersensibility in which the
| pain is excruciating and demands anodyne
| treatment if serious shock is to be avert
ed.
| Pain is not always indicative Of the
| same degree of Inflammation or deteriora-
| ton. 1t depends greatly upon the course
! Of the nerves concerned. In a f1eshy part
| pain is least, because the tissue is bun
| dant, and does not construct the nerves
| in the same degree when infamed; in
! parts where there is but little plav of the
1 muscles, where the flesh is thin and close
| ~ adherent to the bone or ligaments,
| pain is most severe; and in bone, where
the nerves are closely confined in unyieId-
| ing cOnduits, the slightest Inflammation
| causes most agonizing pain. Nor is the
| pain always at the affected part In
| certain diseases of the liver a pain is
| felt at the top of the shoulder and in
| hip disease there is a pain at the knee.
| while in some stomach troubles notably
| an acid Indigestion, there may be pain
| in the legs. In lOcomotor ataxia a dis
| ease of the spinal cord, there is a ne
| culiar girdling pain, like band buckled
! tightly around the waist, which Is symp-
| tomato of this disease. Pain. therefore
while a valuable guide in estigating
disease, is not always an unerrng one
and must not be too implicitly trusted
AS rule, however. a burning, smart
ing or tingling pain indicates superficial
Inflammation of the skin; a sharp and
rlsliY1
OF breathing, indicates the Inflammation
OF the Serious membranes, such as line
the chest cavity and cover the organs
| contained therein; dull, aching, and throb-
Ding pain indicates an abscess; O sharp
pain. decreased by pressure, indicates
spasn Each Of these indications re-
qulres different medication so that if
difficult to give popular remedies for
pain. This is illustrated forcibly by the
pain of headache A nervous headache
may be relieved by caffeine, but in
bilious headache caffeine aggravates the
pain. To give a list of anodynes would
therefore be impossible, for from many
score, new and old, the physician must
select the one applica he to the cause
Th1s opium may be given to check
cough and may do harm by checking
eXpectoratiOn, and also causing consti-
patton, while hyscyamus might be Of
value. as it would not interfere with
Sol etiOH ana IS laxative rather than
constipating.
Other things being equal opium Is the
anodyre par excellence, because it allays
Inflammation as Wen as pain In peri
tonltls and pneumonia, and similar in
Nominations. opium is the sheet anchor
under certain conditions, but in neural,
gia opiates are worse than useless in
the long run. because they induce a
habit, while they disturb the natural
functions; they 90 not remove the ca1tse
but they deaden the sensible effect so
that the habitue cannot do without them.
Hence it is better to build up the nerve
strength, enduring the pain as much as
possible rather than to dull their sensi
bility and allow the facilitating in
fuence TO remain and increase When
piano is out Of tune we do not muf-
fe the strings, but bring them up to
concert pitch, and 50 in the body when
the nerves are out of tune. It Is not
wise to mufIie them with anodynes, but