1870. 



XEW ENGLAND FARMER. 



411 



catarrhal or dysenteric. When the matter 

 dejftcted contains fat or oil in considerable 

 proportion, the disease is called adipose or 

 fatly diarrhoea. 



Diarrhcea may be a symptom of inflammation 

 of the intestines, or of certain diseases of the 

 bowels incident to consumption, typhoid fever, 

 or some other disease ; it may be an element 

 of cholera, dyspepsia, and certain cases of 

 colic ; or, it may be what doctors call an 

 idiopathic disease — that is, a disease of itself 

 — a primary disease — in which case it is Ui>ual- 

 ly the result of the action of undigested food, 

 or else of the depressing and relaxing effeci 

 of extreme heat. 



The treatment of diarrhoea should vary ac- 

 cording to the circumstances of individual 

 cases. If the affection be symptomatic, that 

 is, if it be only a symptom of some other dis- 

 ease, the parent disease or primary affection 

 must be attended to first, for there is little 

 use in efforts made to stop the effect while the 

 cause is siiffered to continue. Nevertheless, 

 in this form of diarrhoea it is not only useful, 

 but absolutely necessary, sometimes, to ad- 

 minister anodyne and astringent medicines for 

 the purpose of relieving pain and checking the 

 discharges, although the effect be not perma- 

 nent. Among the various remedies employed 

 for this purpose, opium and its several prepa- 

 rations occupy the front rank. One fourth of 

 a grain to two grains of opium ; or, ten to 

 forty drops of laudanum ; or, a teaspoonful to 

 two table spoonfuls of paregoric ; or, five to 

 fifteen grains of Dover's powder; or, one 

 eighth to one fourth of a grain of morphia, 

 are the usual doses for an adult ; for children, 

 the doses must be greatly lessened, and in pro- 

 portion to the age. As a rule, however, these 

 articles are not safe remedies for domestic or 

 family u-e, and, with the exceptions of parego- 

 ric and Dover's powder, should never be em- 

 ployed except as prescribed by a competent 

 physician. The safer remedies for common 

 use, are tannic ac^d or 'tannin," gallic acid, 

 white oak bark, blackberry root, kino, catechu, 

 logwood, cranesbill, or some other one of the 

 many valuable astringents which have a place 

 in the Materia Medica. 



But anodynes and astringents, such as 

 opium, tannic acid, oak bark, etc., should be 

 used only as palliatives, except in cases in 

 which the discharges are produced or continued 

 by debility and muscular relaxation. If irri- 

 tation caused by improper food has occa- 

 sioned the trouble ; if the discharges are pro- 

 duced by au effort of nature to rid the system 

 of a redundancy of bile, or some other offending 

 material ; or, if the diarrhoea be an element of 

 active inflammation of the bowels, such things 

 as we have mentioned should be used cautious- 

 ly, if at all ; and in many cases they are quite 

 inadmissible. The transient diarrhoeas caused 

 by overloading the stomach, improper food, a 

 redundam;y of bile, &c., do not, as a rule, ' 

 require much medicine. Rest, with abstinence 



from food and drinks for twelve, twenty-four 

 or thirty-six hours, will generally effect a cure. 

 If the contents of the large intestines be not 

 expelled spontaneously, which may be inferred 

 from the entire absence of solid matter, a 

 cathartic of Epsom salts, rhubarb, or castor 

 oil, may be administered with advantage ; or 

 the following preparation, which is a favorite 

 with many, may be employed : — Take of pow- 

 dered rhubarb one ounce ; saleratus, or bicar- 

 bonate of soda, half an ounce. Mix, and 

 steep a teafpoonful of the powd-er in a gill of 

 hot water for half an hour ; then strain, and 

 add sugar to suit the taste — also a little essence 

 of peppermint or cinnamon. This dose should 

 be repeated every hour, until it operates as a 

 cathartic. Other mild cathartics may be used 

 instead of those mentioned, if preferred. Af- 

 ter the intestines have been thoroughly cleared, 

 mild astringents and anodynes may be em- 

 ployed, if the disease continues. 



If active inflammation of the bowels be 

 present, or if the diarrhoea be dependent on 

 or connected with ulceration of any portion 

 of the alimentary canal, or if it be "a compli- 

 cation with any organic disease, the case 

 should be placed in the care of a skilful and 

 judicious physician. 



A proper attention to diet is important in all 

 cases of diarrhoea. During the first day or 

 two all food should be avoided, or nearly so ; 

 and when taken it should be composed of such 

 articles as are most easily digested. Rice meal 

 gruel, farina gruel, arrow-root gruel, wheat 

 flour gruel, milk with bread, crackers or rice, 

 and sometimes tender mett, such as chicken, 

 lamb or beef, may be taken without injury. 

 A moderate quantity of food, taken at short 

 intervals, is generally advisable, rather than a 

 full meal once or twice daily. Drinks should 

 be taken sparingly. A little rice water ; an 

 infusion of good black tea, or of raspberry, or 

 strawberry leaves ; bread or barley coffee, or 

 even good Java ; iced water in small quanti- 

 ties ; — these are the best drinks, in most oases. 

 Sometimes a little old cider, port wine or 

 brandy may be taken witho'it harm, and even 

 with advantage ; but inasmuch as it is difficult 

 to obtain pure wine or brandy, \t is safer to 

 let them alone. Much benefit has sometimes 

 been experienced from wearing upon the ab- 

 domen a compress of dry Jlannel, or a wet 

 compress of cotton or linen cloth, covered by 

 a dry girdle or bandage. 



The Bee Moth. — Now is the time to be 

 on the look out for the moth-worms. During 

 the next two or three months they breed fast, 

 and every one destroyed now will save you 

 the trouble of destroying hundreds a little 

 later in the season, and besides, save you 

 much loss. The best time to get rid of them 

 is in the morning, when they will be found 

 generally upon the bottom board of the hive. 

 Do not neglect it. — Agriculturist. 



