WRITERS' CRAMP. 587 



It is sometimes a good plan to give ten-drop doses of the liquid extract of male shield- 

 fern three or four times a day for a week or more. 



The best way of avoiding tape- worm Is to make sure that your meat is alv 

 well done. Pork int'rstrd with u measles " should never be sold for food. Cooks and 

 butchers should Icuni not to put their knives in thrir mouths, for it is a dangerous 

 practice in more ways than one. Every one suffering from tape-worm and for the 

 matter of that any kind of worm should disinfect every motion as soon as it is 

 passed by pouring over it strong carbolic acid. This should be done not only for his 

 own sake, but for the safety of others. 



Thread-worms are of very common occurrence in children. They are little 

 things looking just like a thread. They not unfrequently occur in immense numbers. 

 They reside in quite the lower part of the bowel, from which circumstance they are 



often known as seat- worms. When only a few 

 are present, they give rise to no inconvenience, 

 and are usually only accidentally discovered in 

 the stools. When they are numerous, they often 

 cause itching or tickling of the back passage, 

 which is sometimes very distressing, especially 

 towards night. 



A capital mode of treatment is to inject into 

 the back passage a pint of cold water containing 



(a) A mouth enlarged. 



a table-spoonful of tincture of steel. This may 



be repeated once or twice a day until the worms have disappeared. An injection 

 of infusion of quassia, or of salt and water, answers equally well. It is very desirable 

 to pay attention to the general health, and steel wine, Parrish's Chemical Food, or 

 cod-liver oil may be advantageously administered. 



The patient should avoid touching the neighbourhood of the back passage, and 

 should be scrupulously clean in person and clothing. The common Hindoo custom 

 of washing after every act of defecation should be adopted. People suffering from 

 worms should sleep alone. The food should be well cooked, and the hands should 

 be thoroughly washed before and after every meal 



WRITERS' CRAMP. 



The term writers' cramp is not a happy one, for the affection is by no means 

 confined to those who wield the pen. It or a practically identical disorder may 

 be found in the artist, and may prevent him from painting in oils ; or it may 

 occur in the violinist or the pianist, and hinder the musical performances of either ; 

 it may be met with in the seamstress, or the smith, or the milkmaid, and may limit 

 or destroy their powers of work. In fact, analogous conditions occur in almost all 

 avocations. Of late years it has been met with in those female stage-dancers who 

 are accustomed to balance themselves on the tips of their toes. 



It is usually a chronic and slowly-developed disease. A difficulty is experienced 

 in executing a particular movement, such as that of writing, or playing on a musical 



