292 THE TREATMENT OF DISEASES. 



may have a fainting-fit, but this is a circumstance which, if borne in mind, would 

 give you no trouble as regards diagnosis. 



You are not likely to confound apoplexy and fainting. Apoplexy may of 

 course occur in young people, but is far more commonly met with in the middle- 

 aged, or those advanced in life. A fainting-fit, moreover, is never followed by 

 paralysis. 



The danger of a fainting-fit is usually slight. In the great majority of cases 

 the patient comes-to in a few minutes. If a person faints from a very trivial 

 cause, it shows that there is some constitutional weakness, or at all events that the 

 health is very much below par, and energetic treatment will have to be resorted to. 



Next, as to the treatment of fainting. What are you to do for a person who is in 

 a faint 1 If the patient has fallen on the floor, you should leave her in that position, 

 and should on no account raise the head. If she has not fallen to the ground, but 

 only back in a chair, put your hand behind her neck, and depress her head 

 till you bring it right down between the knees. By this method, the blood runs 

 down into the head, and this is just what you want : it is much better than lying 

 the patient flat on the floor, for in that case, as the heart is not doing its work, 

 you won't get the blood pumped up to the brain. You may sprinkle a little water 

 over the face a few drops will do as well as a larger quantity. When the face is 

 pale and cold, use tepid water. A little ammonia or sal-volatile, or a bottle of 

 smelling-salts, held under the nose, will often restore consciousness. Musk or 

 camphor will answer almost equally well. It is a good plan to keep the hands and 

 feet warm, and to chafe the chest over the region of the heart with a little spirit or 

 eau de Cologne. As soon as the patient can be got to swallow, you had better give 

 some brandy and water, or sal-volatile, or chloric ether, or any other stimulant that 

 may be at hand. 



To prevent further attacks, the great thing is to pay attention to the general 

 health. Live as well as you can. Spend most of your time in the open air. Give 

 up novel-reading, and go in for lawn tennis, croquet, or something of the kind. If 

 you can, learn, to ride, and take a good gallop every day. If you haven't a horse, 

 don't forget that you have a pair of legs, and that a good brisk walk is one of the 

 finest tonics in the world. A cold sponge-bath in the morning is good for you, 

 but you may have the chill off just at first. Pay attention to your bowels, and see 

 that they are "open every day regularly. If not, you will learn from the article on 

 constipation (see CONSTIPATION) what to do. If you are suffering from poorness of 

 blood or anemia, you will have to take iron (Prs. 1 7). If you are thin and weak, 

 and badly nourished, cod-liver oil will be your remedy, or you may derive benefit 

 from the hypophosphites (Pr. 55). If you are a town-dweller, try and get away 

 in the country. A week or ten days in a country-house, or at a farm, will do } T OU all 

 the good in the world. If you go to the sea-side, try and get some sea-bathing. If 

 you live in the country, get some one to invite you to come up to town for a bit, 

 and do not hesitate to enjoy yourself as much as possible. A course of balls, and 

 theatres, and concerts, or whatever your special form of dissipation may be, will do 

 7ou no end of a lot of good even more good than our medicines, and that is saying 

 a great deal. 



