206 THE TREATMENT OP DISEASES. 



Glycerine of tannin is a very useful application for cough resulting from a 

 relaxed throat or elongated uvula. It should be used with a brush, the whole 

 of the back of the throat being well swabbled out with it. This is a most valuable 

 mode of treatment in the condition we have indicated. 



Ipecacuanha enters into the composition of many of our cough mixtures. An 

 ipecacuanha lozenge will often temporarily relieve a cough. The wine, given in drop 

 doses in a tea-spoonful of water every hour or two hours, is a valuable remedy for a 

 simple spasmodic cough, resembling whooping-cough, and accompanied by much 

 retching and expectoration. In the cough of chronic bronchitis, nothing affords 

 more speedy relief than the ipecacuanha spray (see p. 160). 



Nitric acid is useful in coughs, but only in chronic coughs. It is suitable for 

 patients who, from a long continuance of the cough, are in a state of general bad 

 health. There is usually great lassitude and weakness, with loss of energy, a feeling 

 of unfitness for exertion or work of any kind, and a state of unusual or abnormal 

 tiredness. There is often mental depression, as the result of the physical weakness. 

 The digestive organs also indicate a condition of depression ; there is want of appetite, 

 associated with a tongue which may be quite clean or slightly coated towards the 

 back ; a bad taste in the mouth in the morning, and after food a feeling of fulness 

 or distension, often amounting to actual pain. There is generally a considerable loss 

 of flesh, sleep at night is unrefreshing, and the bowels are constipated. The cough 

 occurs chiefly during the day, and is nearly dry, what little expectoration there is 

 being rather difficult to bring up. Sometimes the cough occurs almost entirely in 

 the morning, on first waking or on getting out of bed. There is then a good deal of 

 cough, with a considerable amount of expectoration of mucus. During the day there 

 is nothing more than an occasional cough till the time of going to bed, when there is 

 often a marked increase. In some forms of cough, occurring in middle-aged or elderly 

 people, this remedy does much good. The symptoms are shortness of breath on 

 exertion, and especially on going up-stairs j paroxysms of cough early in the 

 morning, with considerable expectoration. Ipecacuanha spray is of value, but when 

 the patient is generally out of health nitric acid may be used internally. It not 

 only improves the general health, but also the condition of the chest symptoms. A 

 nitric acid mixture may be made by putting a drachm of the dilute nitric acid of the 

 British Pharmacopoeia into an eight-ounce bottle of water. The dose in all these 

 cases is two or three tea-spoonfuls three times a day. 



Sulphur is used for obstinate dry cough, with tightness in the chest and retching, 

 and also for loose cough, with expectoration of whitish-coloured phlegm. 



Tartar emetic in small doses is very useful in many different kinds of cough. It 

 is especially indicated when the expectoration is profuse, easily expelled, and mucous 

 in character. The accompaniment of nausea or vomiting is to be regarded as an 

 additional indication. A mixture may be made by adding a tea-spoonful of antimony 

 wine to an eight-ounce bottle of water. The dose of this is two tea-spoonfuls every 

 two or three hours. 



Often enough a mustard poultice or the application of iodine to the chest will do 

 more to relieve a cough than any medicine. As a rule, it will be found a good plan to 

 abstain from beer as long as there is any cough. Mucilaginous drinks, such as gum- 



