576 THE TREATMENT OF DISEASES. 



of our knowledge of this subject we are indebted to the untiring industry of one 

 of our most distinguished hospital physicians. In the vomiting of pregnancy 

 ipecacuanha wine is undoubtedly by far the best remedy. When the sickness 

 occurs the first thing in the morning, a dose of the medicine should be given on 

 awaking, and before the patient makes even the slightest movement. "When 

 the vomiting is most severe towards evening, ipecacuanha occasionally fails, and 

 then mix vomica (Pr. 44) may be employed with advantage. The nux vomica and 

 ipecacuanha are occasionally given in alternate doses. In obstinate cases bella- 

 donna sometimes succeeds. Twenty or thirty drops of the tincture should be 

 administered in water every three or four hours. In the vomiting occurring during 

 suckling, ipecacuanha usually acts like a charm. This mode of treatment naturally 

 fails to give relief when the symptoms are due to displacement of the womb, and 

 then usually nothing but local measures will prove of avail. Morning vomiting 

 sometimes accompanies general weakness, and is met with in convalescents from 

 acute illnesses. This form is readily controlled by ipecacuanha. 



The ipecacuanha proves of equal value in many forms of children's vomiting. 

 Thus it will usually remove or lessen the vomiting of whooping-cough, when it is 

 due to the violence of the cough. Sometimes in children the vomited matter is 

 composed of large hard lumps of curdled milk ; ipecacuanha does little good in 

 these cases. If diarrhea is present, one-third of lime-water mixed with the milk 

 is the best remedy ; but if the child is constipated, half a tea-spoonful of bicarbonate 

 of soda to a pint of milk will do more good. Should both the lime-water and the 

 bicarbonate of soda fail to afford relief, it may be necessary to withhold milk for a 

 time, and to feed the child exclusively on sopped bread, water gruel, and chicken 

 or veal broth. Young children, often only a few weeks old, suffer from a form of 

 vomiting, the characteristic feature of which is the suddenness of its occurrence. 

 No sooner is the milk swallowed than without any effort on the part of the child 

 it is forcibly expelled, being sometimes shot out through both the nose and mouth. 

 Diarrhoea may co-exist, but more frequently there is constipation. The child may 

 be reduced almost to a skeleton by the continuous vomiting. The best remedy for 

 this complaint is one of the sugar and grey powders (Pr. 71) given every two or 

 three hours. 



In children brought up by hand, attention to feeding will often do more than 

 anything to check vomiting. The great point is to dilute the milk. For a child a 

 month old the milk should be mixed with an equal quantity of water. Of this, from 

 a pint to a pint and a half should be taken in the twenty-four hours. As the child 

 grows older, rather less water should be added. The following food will be found 

 useful for children whose digestive powers are weak, or who are suffering from 

 persistent vomiting. Soak a scruple of gelatine in a little cold water for a short 

 time, and then boil it in half a pint of water till it is dissolved ; this usually takes 

 from ten to fifteen minutes. Just before finishing the boiling, add milk, with some 

 arrowroot made into paste with cold water, and afterwards some cream. The 

 proportion of milk, cream, and arrowroot will depend on the age of the child. For 

 an infant less than a month old, three or four ounces of milk, a tea-spoonful of 

 arrowroot, and half an ounce of cream, to half a pint of gelatine- water, would be 



