20 
Cold when applied locally may act as a local tonic. If too long 
continued it depresses the part; it does so by the influence of its action 
on the capillaries. Intense cold applied to a part of the body for a few 
minutes will abolish sensation, therefore it becomes, under these cir¬ 
cumstances, an anaesthetic. Applied locally and suddenly cold acts as 
an excitant, as seen when applied to persons who have fainted 01 aie 
narcotized. The application of cold to the surface of the body lessens 
the perspiration in proportion to its degree. It does so by driving the 
blood from the skin and surface of the body, to the internal oigans 
where it flows in increased quantities. In man albumen is often found 
in the urine during a cold bath, and it can probably be attiibuted to 
the congestion of the kidneys which takes place, for after the bath it 
speedily disappears. 
Sudden changes of temperature, i. e. from warm to cold, increases 
the quantity of urea and sulphuric acid in the urine. The impiession 
which the forcible impact of cold water makes upon the nervous system 
is sometimes very great. It may be successfully used in ti eating poll 
evil.” When the swelling is first manifest, the water should be allow¬ 
ed to fall upon the “poll” in a considerable stream, from a height of 
about ten feet; it will in many instances prevent the formation of ab¬ 
scess, and in others limit the amount of suppuration, results no doubt 
always to be desired. The shower bath or cold sponging is recom¬ 
mended in the treatment of children suffering from rickets. It would 
evidently have the same beneficial effects upon the domestic animals 
when similarly affected. The cold douche is of great service in aious- 
ing a patient from the stupor of opium poisoning. The cold applied 
to the head in this manner removes the conditions on which the stupor 
depends; consciousness after a time is restored and the breathing be¬ 
comes natural again. The water should be poured upon the head from 
a good height, so as to produce as great a shock as possible. The 
cold douche is an excellent local tonic to individual parts ot the bod} , 
as in stiffness of the joints remaining after slight injuries; or in rheu¬ 
matic arthritis. 
The application of cold is especially beneficial in all injuries where 
there is more or less devitalization of tissue as in contused wounds. 
It acts as a tonic upon the tissues which are not too much injured, and 
tends to limit the febrile reaction which follows the injury, while it 
does not interfere with the healing process. In the treatment of Lam- 
initis, cold is an indispensable adjunct to the internal treatment. 
It is recommended and extensively used in the treatment of 
Lymphangitis; but my own experience is that warm fomentations do 
much better. 
