Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1907-01-20
What to Do for Grip.
From the Housekeeper.


The first thing to do when the aching
chilliness and fever indicate an attack of
influenza. is to go to bed in quiet, we'll
ventilated room and to have no visitors
except the attendant or nurse. Stop all
food for from twenty-four to forty EIGHT
hours and secure a free action OF the
bowels either by enema or by some mild
laxative as prescribed by the family ply
sician, who should always be called. A
warm bath with cold to head, or If that
is not practicable. hot foot or leg bath
with an ice bag to head and back of neck,
will often give much relief, especially
where there is much congestion of the
brain. high fever and delirium. Where the
patient is too i'll to sit up, the legs and
feet may be wrapped in a blanket wrung
out of very hot water and at the same
time the head and face be sponged with
either hot or cold water, whichever seems
to afford the most relief.
La grippe patients do not bear heroic
cold treatment well, therefore, even when
the fever is high, tepd or even warm
sponging, or a tepid full bath will do more
good than using the cold water treatment
SO often useful in typhoid and other dis
eases characterized by high temperature.
The fever in influenza is often high and
may reach 1O6 degrees or more. although
degrees or 1881 degrees. 1t usually lasts
from four to six days, when it may sub
side entirely usually leaving the patient
weak and depressed.
fevers should be fluid. well-cooked gruels.
milk II the patient relishes it, and can
digest 1t well, and fruit juices. There is
much that can be done to lessen the
severity of an attack of this disorder by
proper care during the fever stage. This
means to provide the patient with fresh
air in abundance. The value of this all
potent remedial agent for the treatment
of many diseases, notable among which
are tuberculosis and pneumonia. Is so
much appreciated by the medical profes..
sion at present that in the hospitals of
New York and other large cities they are
treating such patients by taking them to
the housetop and keeping them in the
open air night and day. AS many Of
these cases are pneumonia attacks follow
ing la grippe it is rational to suppose that
the open-air treatment which would cure
a case of pneumonia when the patient
seemed past all hope. would have pre-
vented this disorder had it been used be-
fore the onset of the disease. 1t may re-
quire some exercise of faith in the medicl-
nal virtues of fresh cool air to open all the
doors and windows of the fever patients
room on a cold winter day, or even move
him out to a cot on the veranda; neverthe-
less it Is the pure air, which he cannot get
In his own room that he needs. The at
mosphere of the inside air Is being con-
stantly contaminated by the exhalations
from his body, as well that Of the
nurse. and all the sources of house air
deflement, potent among which are hot
air furnaces and oil, coal and gas stoves
and lamps This Out-of-door treatment
should not be rashly administered, but
given intelligently. The patient should be
put into a proper bed, preferably one
with a railing few inches deep to keep
the bedding from being displaced and.
also, to shut off currents of cold air from
flowing in under the covering and chilling
the patient A well-heated excelsior mat
tress will retain warmth long time if
wooden blanket is laid under it next to the
springs and a well-warmed cotton mat
tress over It, The sheets. preferably light
weight cotton blankets, and all the upper
bedding should be warm and dry, and a
hot bag laid at the feet The patient can
be tucked into his warm nest in warm
room, and carried outside for fresh air
treatment for number of hours, two or
three times day. and often it is well for
him to sleep out-of-doors at night.