MEDICINAL TREATMENT 185 
fully watch for signs of pneumonia, for if these be 
overlooked at the onset there is naan an increased 
risk of a fatal termination. ead 
Pneumonia.—Under the most favourable circumstances 
this is a very serious complication, and we cannot afford 
to lose any time in dealing with it. 
Pneumonia sometimes appears insidiously without any 
premonitory cough, and on this account other gross 
symptoms may be allowed—if one is unwary—to distract 
one’s attention from it. Stimulants and expectorants are 
given for pneumonia, and prescriptions Nos. 6 and7 would 
be especially beneficial. The temperature may be high 
or moderately low, and additions or omissions must be 
made in the medicine accordingly. 
Local treatment is advisable in these cases, and one or 
other of the following may be selected: 
(a) Hot compresses to the chest repeated every fifteen 
to twenty minutes if necessary. 
(6) Mustard applied for ten minutes or a quarter of an 
hour, especially in catarrhal pneumonia, and renewed at 
long intervals where indicated. 
(c) Rubbing the chest with embrocation, camphorated oil, 
turpentine or soap liniment may be preferred, or even 
dry friction applied by hand. | 
Turpentine liniment consists of: Ol. tereb., 13; sapo 
mollis, 14; camphore, 1; aque, 5. ae 
Counter-irritants relieve pain and internal inflammation 
by their irritating and stimulating effect upon the skin, 
and encourage absorption of exudate; their action is 
varied according to their strength, the duration of the 
rubbing, and the force used. It seems not generally 
recognised that the value of counter-irritants in most 
cases depends upon the method of their application, and 
efforts which are half-hearted or feeble only meet with 
corresponding results. 
