318 THE TREATMENT OF DISEASES. 



the spasm when thoroughly established. Even when the night cigar is taken it may- 

 be necessary to get up about three or four in the morning and light another, and 

 daring the last fortnight in June, this happens with many almost nightly. A hay- 

 asthmatic should never smoke tobacco but for his malady. One soon gets accustomed 

 to its influence, and it then loses its power of relaxing spasm. Distressing as are 

 the sensations of collapse from tobacco-poisoning, they are unspeakable relief when 

 contrasted with the sense of impending suffocation from asthma. A patient, in 

 describing his feelings, says : " I smoked one pipe, then another ; and as my face 

 blanched, and my pulse failed, and the cold sweat stood on my forehead, miserable 

 as were the sensations of collapse they were paradise to the agonies of suffocation. 

 I shall never forget those moments of relief." Many people who have been ac- 

 customed to smoke for years are not readily susceptible to the influence of tobacco, 

 and they fail to obtain much benefit from its use unless they employ some device to 

 secure its more potent effect. A good plan is the following : Fill the mouth with 

 tobacco-smoke, and then instead of blowing it out again at once as in ordinary smok- 

 ing, retain it in the mouth for some seconds, perhaps a quarter of a minute, then 

 take another mouthful and retain that, and so on. In this way the tobacco is more 

 rapidly absorbed, and a state of depression quickly produced. 



In many cases great benefit has been derived from taking ten drops of the 

 tincture of nux vomica in half a tumbler of water three times a day. 



Another good remedy is from three to five drops of arsenic solution (the liquor 

 arsenicalis of the Pharmacopoeia) in a little water three times a day. This is the 

 dose for an adult, and should not be exceeded. It should be taken after meals, and 

 is then less likely to upset the stomach. 



Tincture of lobelia may be given during the asthmatic paroxysm with a fair 

 chance of success. On any signs of an on-coming fit, ten drops of the simple tincture 

 should be taken in water every ten minutes or a quarter of an hour, till relief is 

 obtained. Sometimes it produces a little sickness or faintness, but this soon 

 passes off. 



A few drops of chloroform placed in the palm of the hand and inhaled during the 

 attack will often cut it short. As a matter of precaution some one else should be in 

 the room when this treatment is adopted. 



In many cases of hay fever creasote inhalations have proved of service. The 

 best strength is ten drops of creasote to a pint of hot water, the steam being inhaled. 

 Sometimes a camphor inhalation does good. Ten drops of spirits of camphor, and 

 twenty of rectified spirits, are to be added to the pint of hot water. 



HEADACHE. 



Headache is of necessity of common occurrence, since it is present as a prominent 

 symptom in some part of the progress of most acute and many chronic illnesses. It 

 would seem that the head is more given to aching than any other part of the body ; 

 put all the breast pains, stomach pains, and colic pains together, and you do not 

 make such an aggregate of suffering as is furnished by headache. There is no doubt 

 that headache is a more common complaint than it used to be, and the explanation 



