740 PLAIN FACTS FOR OLD AND YOUNG 



disease is often a very painful one, leaving the pa- 

 tient much prostrated, but is never fatal. The appli- 

 cation of hot fomentations or dry heat to the abdo- 

 men, and the use of large hot enemata, rarely fail to 

 give speedy relief. In cases of chronic enter algia, such 

 as are sometimes met with, nothing is so effective as 

 the use of electricity in the form of a mild faradic cur- 

 rent or galvanism. 



CHOLERA MORBUS 



Symptoms.— Yoimimg, soon followed by purging; 

 watery, acrid, or acid discharges from the bowels; 

 colicky pains, cramp in the feet and limbs; hiccough; 

 rapid and feeble pulse; cold skin, often bathed with 

 clammy sweat; voice feeble and hollow. 



This is a germ disease which bears a rather close 

 resemblance to Asiatic cholera, although by no means 

 so grave a malady. It is sometimes attributed to ex- 

 cessive eating, but although the disease most frequently 

 occurs in hot weather, it is generally excited by errors 

 in diet, as the use of cheese, unripe fruit, etc. Some- 

 times the disease assumes an epidemic form, a large 

 number of persons being attacked at about the same 

 time. Attacks most frequently come on during the 

 night, the first symptom being a feeling of pressure 

 at the pit of the stomach, which is shortly followed by 

 nausea and vomiting. The matter vomited first usu- 

 ally consists of undigested food. After a time, a pale 

 yellow or greenish fluid, intensely acrid, bitter, or acid, 

 is vomited. Griping pains in the bowels are also pres- 

 ent. The discharges from the bowels are at first pulpy 

 in character, but soon become liquid, enormous quan- 



