354 TREATMENT OF HEADACHE. 



days, or a week or two, sometimes coming on at sunrise ana disappearing at 

 suniset I have good resvilts from the use of guarana, or Paullinia sorbilis, as 

 it is sometimes called. I give it usually in powder, 15 grains every 15 min- 

 xxtes until six doses have been taken. It is best given in a little sweetened 

 water ; and if six doses do not relieve, do not continue it; it will probably 

 not relieve. It is well to give these powders in any headache (not malarial) 

 of long standing and prone to return at certain intervals. 

 Dyspepsia is a frequent cause of headache. 



If there is indigestible food in the stomach, and it has been there for 

 some time, give an emetic, as mustard and warm water, or sulphate zinc grs, 

 XV. and remove it. If there is evidence of indigestible food in the alimen- 

 tary canal beyond the stomach, give gr. xx. of rhubarb and magnesia each, 

 and remove it from the bo wels. If the headache be frontal and the pain is located 

 immediately over the eyes, give dilute nitro-muriatic acid in ten-drop doses^ 

 well diluted, after meals. If the pain is located about the roots of the hair, 

 o-ive an alkali before meals, as gr. xx. bicarbonate of soda or magnesia. The 

 dyspeptic headache oftentimes is not confined to these regions, but spreads 

 over the entire head. In such cases I combine an acid with an alkali, and 

 add to these nux vomica, as in the following prescription : 



Sod, bicarb 5 iiss. 



Ac. nitro-mur. dil 5 ij- 



Tine. nuc. vom 5 iss. 



Syr. aurant. cort 5 "^j- 



Aquse, q. s. ad 5 vj. M, 



Sig. g ss. after meals in a wineglass of water. 



If there be gastric pain, a mild counter-irritant, as a mustard plaster to 

 the enigastrium, will often relieve the pain in the head as well as the pain in 

 the stomach. If flatulence be a troublesome symptom, give the following : 



Bismuth subcarb 5 iss. 



Tinct. nucis vom o iss. 



Tine. card. CO I iv. 



Spts. lav. comp. q. s. ad 5 iv. M. 



Sig. 3 ij. before meals in a wineglass of water. 

 If there be constipation, the following pill may be given, one in the 

 morning : 



Aloes pulv 5 ss. 



Ext. nuc. vom gr. v. 



Ext. belladonnas gr. iv. M. 



Div. in pil. No. xv. 

 In some forms of headache associated with stomach indigestion I have 

 found small doses often repeated of tinct. nux vomica effectual, I give a 

 single drop every^fifteen minutes, and continue this two or three hours, if 

 necessary. In other cases, where the headache comes on soon after a 

 meal and seems to depend on delayed stomach digestion, large doses of pep- 



