31)4 THE TREATMENT OF DISEASES. 



For the benefit of those who may have to prepare it for themselves, we may briefly 

 explain the process, particularly as it presents no difficulty. The stomach of a 

 recently killed pig is cut open and laid on a board, with the inner surface upwards. 

 Any adhering portions of food, dirt, or other impurity are removed, and the exposed 

 surface is slightly washed with cold water. The cleansed mucous membrane is then 

 scraped with a blunt knife, and the viscid pulp so obtained is spread on a piece of 

 glass or glazed earthenware, and quickly dried in the sun or before a fire. In this 

 way a light yellowish-brown powder is obtained, the dose of which is five grains. 

 It should be given after the two chief meals of the day, either alone or at the same 

 time as the acid mixture. It is a very valuable remedy when the functions of the 

 stomach are imperfectly performed, and is especially indicated where pain or other 

 disturbance follows the use of animal food. Many chemists keep pepsin wine and 

 pepsin lozenges, both of which are convenient and agreeable forms of taking the 

 medicine. The preparation sold as rennet wine is prepared as follows : Take the 

 stomach of a calf as fresh as it can be obtained from the butcher. Slit it up from 

 one end to the other, and then gently wipe the inside with a clean, dry napkin, 

 taking care to remove as little of the clean mucus as possible. Then cut the stomach 

 into small pieces, the smaller the better, and put it all into a common wine bottle. 

 Fill up the bottle with good sound sherry, and let it remain corked for a fortnight, 

 when it will be fit for use. It is to be taken immediately after meals a tea-spoonful 

 in a wine-glassful of water, to which if necessary from ten to fifteen drops of dilute 

 hydrochloric acid may be added. 



"When uneasiness rather than pain occurs after a meal, with a sensation of weight 

 at the pit of the stomach, and indisposition for mental or bodily exertion, it may be 

 inferred that the work of digestion is slow and difficult, from too scanty secretion of 

 gastric juice. In these cases it is desirable to employ those drugs which are known 

 to promote the secretions of the stomach, and for this purpose we may administer 

 before meals either the gentian and soda mixture, or a little ipecacuanha wine. The 

 ipecacuanha is especially indicated when the dyspepsia is associated with constipa- 

 tion, and is characterised by depression of spirits, flatulence, coldness of the extremi- 

 ties, and the food lying on the stomach <* like a weight." The wine should be given 

 in a dose of from five to ten drops half an hour before meals. In this form of 

 dyspepsia, the use of salt, mustard, or cayenne pepper as condiments is not 

 objectionable. 



In one form of dyspepsia the pain does not begin till from two to four hours after 

 a meal, but continues for several hours. It is frequently accompanied by pain and 

 tenderness oh the right side, and is supposed to be due to an excess of acid in the 

 stomach. At all events, it is speedily removed by a small dose of any alkali, such 

 as fifteen or twenty drops of sal volatile in a little water, or a dose of the gentian 

 and soda (Pr. 14) or bismuth (Pr. 18) mixtures. In a closely-allied form, in which 

 pain is experienced when the stomach is empty, and is relieved by taking food, the 

 same mode of treatment may be adopted. 



There is another form of dyspepsia in which the movements of the stomach and 

 intestines are over-energetically performed. The food is no sooner swallowed than 

 the stomach, instead of digesting it, passes it on into the intestines, where, owing to 



