Willmar tribune. [volume] (Willmar, Minn.) 1895-1931, 1906-04-25

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y PEhs1sT1Na IN CURE, ..s
It is often found important as. our
readers know, to urge general ideas
concerning curing diseased conditions,
illustrating these by special cases of
illness that have been relieved. This
- what Is desired at present. The first
things for consideration are those to
% regarded not as desirable persist
ence. following these by some things
which are. Well, then, suppose you
have a case in large joint, such as
the knee. You have to think there
Is something like infammatory action
In this knee joint, or at least, in the
f1eshy parts that surround it.
You put on cold, wet cloth, and
press it gently around the limb. This
IS very comforting, and somewhat
eases the pain or restlessness that has
been experienced. Up to certain
point this cooling process is felt to be
right and pleasant, but beyond that it
begins to lose it's pleasant character,
and to persist beyond this point is not
desirable. It is evident that from that
time you have a call for something
else than cooling. That has been good
up to this period, but it is not SO be-
You'd it; therefore you stop the cooling
process for time. And it will now
be well to adopt just the opposite. You
fr,IH no
water, and pour this. upon the knees,
or IT this cannot be done, you soak
large flannel In hot water and wrap
that around the knee, packing all up
in dry sheet to keep the heat in as
well as possible. This is felt to be
agreeable and comforting, but it you
continue this beyond a certain point
it ceases to be SO alternating. Further
persistence in this treatment, there
fore, is not desirable.
Nothing can be clearer than such a
truth as comes to us here, but the
same truth appears in a great many
cases, and in great many ways. With
this knee, you have two opposite
modes of dealing, and both will fail at
certain stage; therefore, to persist
with either beyond that stage will do
harm rather than good.
But you are not to conclude that you
must give up both as hopeless merely
because both fail at a certain point
You cease cooling when it is indicated
you shall do so; You cease fomenting
with hot applications when it is indi-
Gated you shall discontinue that But
you return to the cooling when the
heat fails and you find this has become
delightful now. You go on with it un-
til it ceases to be so; then change to
the hot lamentations thus alternating
as the conditions indicate.
But 1t is not desirable persistence to
keep going on beyond a certain time
with either the hot or the cold treat
ment and that time is shown by both
ceasing to give comfort. Then entire
rest is indicated; but abandonment of
the poor knee is not rest. Rest will
be relieving to a certain point, beyond
which 1t produces unGasiness, and it,
therefore, undesirable after that point
is reached.
The cooling, probably, will be the
right thing now, and so, if you are to
succeed in affecting complete cure,
change treatments as above advised.
But now for real and desirable per-
sistence. You have case of severe
neuralgia pain, and you apply cold to
the root of the nerve or nerves af-
fected. The feeling is one of slight re-
lief, but 1t is so little it seemed to do
no good. Still it is rather comfortable
than otherwise.
To follow this slender thread is de-
sfrable persistence. It may be that the
pain not only returns as soon as you
stop cooling the roots of the nerves.
but that it comes, back worse. Yet If
this cooling does the slightest good at
Its application, it is desirable to per-
slst.
Severe neuralgia attacks have been
known which yielded to such treat
ment only for moment, and then re-
turned worse than ever, but. when It
was fought steadily for time, it dis
appeared altogether, and that just after
! terrible twinge.
The idea underlying all this is,
when you feel the slightest relief from
certain treatment you have to con-
t1nue that mode of treatment to secure
the cure desired. 1t may take long per-
| sistence, but it will be rewarded if the
nurse or attendant perseveres long
enough.
It is wished to illustrate here the
| principle in. nature which is revealed
In cooling and heating, the one after
| the other. 1t may be seen in day and
night, and the influence of these
changes on vegetable life, especially.
1t is the same in summer and winter.
You see the plant that would die if
unceasing day shone upon it, but it
| thrives under so much of day and so
much of night. So a northern tree
will bear the, night and day or the
summer and winter. But it would not
bear with any one Of these only.
A great deal may be gathered in
matters of health to man and beast
from careful study Of this most man.
| ifest principle in nature.
You see what persistence means, i. e.,
not to persist in one thing only, but IN
the best possible change of things. You
will find This to apply to food; and to
such remedies as may be found in food,
and even in clothing Persistence is
not found in keeping always to Just
one thing hut often in Eaoninn 70 q