CONSTIPATION. 187 



and ,vt the bowels to ittle difficulty will be experienc 



:!ng relief. A h of brandy-and-\\ ater. a tea-spoonful of compound 



tiiiclim; of cardamoms in a little warm water, or thirty drops < .f compound tincture 

 .'rin, will often quickly r pain. A tea-spoonful of spir: 



der, tweiny drops . of peppermint, or a little *al \olatile, or essence of 



ging-r or doves, will usually prove equally efficacdoOB. Tin; carminative mixture 

 ipital remedy for colic. Sal volatile and earboiiat" of ammonia in 

 small doses are often useful for children, especially in the case of infants torn, 

 wall colic 88 the result of bad let-din:,'. In every ease of colic the bowels should be 

 thoroughly opened. It is often advantageous to lake a table-spoonful of castor oil 

 with, for an adult, twenty-five drops of laudanum. ] nal application of 



warmth to the abdomen, as by a mustard poultice, will often prove a valuable 



ory. In the case of children, a hot- water bottle wrapped in llannel or, what 

 is even better, a bag filled with warm cliamomile iiowers may be used for this pur- 

 pose. When the colic has resulted from taking some indigestible article of food, 

 it may be advisable to excite vomiting by the administration of an emetic of 

 ipecacuanha, or by a draught of warm water. Should the bowels still remain 

 confined, it may be necessary to take a more powerful purgative, as a dose of salts 

 (Pr. 25), or a black draught (Pr. 24). A. large enema of tepid water will 

 speedily relieve the bowels, and ease the pain. A warm bath is in many ca 

 useful auxiliary. 



In obstinate cases of colic other remedies may have to be resorted to. 

 Thus, small doses of tincture of colocynth will often succeed when other means 

 have failed. This remedy is especially indicated when the pains are cutting or 

 griping in character, when they are very severe, and when they are accompanied 

 by flatulence or diarrhoea. Ten or fifteen grains of chloral in a little water will 

 sometimes ease the pain. Tincture of belladonna (Pr. 39) is especially useful in the 

 colic of children. Nux vomica (Pr. 44) is useful when the colic is due to flatulence, 

 and is associated with irregularity of the bowels. Bromide of potassium (Pr. 31) 

 should be given in a form of colic which sometimes affects children of from a few 

 months to one or two years of age. The walls of the belly are retracted and hard, 

 while the intestines are at one spot distinctly contracted into a hard lump, the size 

 of a small orange, and this contraction can be traced through the walls of the belly, 

 travelling from one part to another. These colicky attacks, which produce excru- 

 ciating pain, are of frequent occurrence, and are often unconnected with constipation, 

 diarrhoea, or flatulence. 



People who are subject to colic should be particular in the avoidance of all 

 indigestible articles of food, and in the protection of the surface of the body from 

 the injurious influence of cold. Wearing a piece of flannel round the abdomen, 

 and keeping the feet well protected from damp, should be especially enjoined. 



CONSTIPATION. 



By constipation we mean confinement of the bowels. Not only are the stools 

 not passed with sufficient frequency, but they are usually at the same time deficient 



