250 DR CHASE'S RECIPES. 



of drawing blood after the skin has been scratched off)af ter which a warm jwultice 

 of bran, Indian meal, or linseed meal or slippery elm, etc., to be sprinkled orer 

 with a little laudanum or paregoric ; to be applied frequently. Small doses o? ipe- 

 cac, either in powder or the syrup, should be given every 3 hours, just so a«t to pro- 

 duce slight nausea but not vo/niting. "When this has been continued f Oi- about 13 

 hours, then use the following mixture: Water, 8 ozs. (1 gill); syrup of ipecac, 

 1 table-spoonful, or 5 grs. of the powder; chlorate of potash, 1 dr., or about 

 1 tea-spoonful; spirits of nitre, 2 table-spoonfuls. Dose — A tea-spoonful every 

 3 hours: if much sickness of the stomach is produced, not so often Let the 

 patient have plenty of cooling drinks, such as flaxseed tea, gum arable, or 

 slippery elm water, toast water, etc. The bowels to be moved occasionally by 

 a dose of castor oil. 



Dr. Scudder's treatment of this disease is so sTiort, plain and effective ,1 ■will 

 give it in his own words. He says: 



" Have the person bathed with an alkaline wash, to prevent undue heat of 

 the skin, and apply a poultice of bran, or corn meal to the chest, changing it 

 twice a day, keeping the patient well covered. Give internally, tinct. of ver- 

 strum, 1 dr.; tinct. of aconite, 20 drops; water, 4ozs. ; a tea-spoonful every 

 hour until the fever is subdued, and then in smaller doses. On the third, or 

 fourth day, add a solution of acetate of potash as follows: Acetate of potash, 

 1 oz. ; water, 8 ozs. ; simple syrup, 2 ozs. ; mix. This will be found an excel- 

 lent diuretic in fevers and inflammations, headaches, etc., as it helps to carry 

 off the urea, or solid matter that should be carried off by the urine. Dose — 

 tea-spoonful every 1, 2 or 3 hours as required. 



" The patient's bowels should be kept regular, but active physic should be 

 avoided. If the cough is very severe, give a sufficient dose of opium to give 

 the necessary sleep. Let the patient's food be light and nutritious. Keep the 

 room well ventilated, and everything scrupulously clean." 



Thus you have it in a "nut shell." The variations which I make are as 

 follows: 



In cases where a good nurse, or plenty of help is not to be had to look 

 after the comfort of the patient, instead of the "bran, or commeal poultice to 

 the chest," I use a bag of hot di'y bran, changing it sufficiently often to keep it 

 Jwt, and occasionally use a mustard poultice, having a thin piece of cloth between 

 the poultice and the body, as this means appears, at least, to have as good an 

 effect, and avoids the wetting of the bed clothing and the chilly dampness 

 which will arise unless, as above stated, you ha.Ye plenty of help and use great 

 care to keep tlie patient dry and comfortable. 



Also, if the case is taken in hand at once, in the commencement of the 

 disease, 1 take the sweating process at first, as you will see below, but if th« 

 disease gets .-:ome days the start, then the " alkaline wash," or spirit sponging, 

 not only "twice a day," but as often as it will add to the comfort of the patient. 

 The temperature of the "wash" mu.st also be governed by the patient's feel- 

 ings — if he wants it cool, have it so, if warm, make it to his liking. The 

 tinctures of veratrum, viride, and aconite, in all inflammatory diseases and in 

 fevers, Ic^nnder almost an absolute necessity. 



2. Sweating Process. — Pleurisy has been cured with but very little 

 other treatment than the bag of hot dry bran, being kept upon the side for the 

 greater portion of the day, after the case became severe. As often as one 



