Acute inflammation of the liver is attended with great
pain in the right side, extending to the right shoulder-blade,
MEDICINAL. m
and tenderness on pressure over the region of the organ, aggra-
vated by lying on the left side. The pain in the region of the
liver may be so acute as to make it difficult to distinguish from
that of plurisy, while, on the other hand, the mistake is often
made of regarding a limited extent of plurisy in the lower part
of the chest as an attack of inflammation of the liver. With
the pain there is, in inflammation of the liver, a varying degree
of fever, thirst, loss of appetite, nausea, vomiting, hiccup. The
urine becomes scanty and is high-colored. The bowels are
frequently costive, the evacuations very pale, even white, show-
ing a deficiency in the flow of bile. The same defect of flow
of bile by the intestines causes its absorption into the circula-
tion, giving rise to yellowness of the complexion and coats of
the eye — ^jaundice. If the inflammation is not subdued, the
pain will probably become of a throbbing character, severe
shivering will occur, and an abscess form. This may burst
into the chest and the matter be expectorated, or it may be-
come the cause of serious mischief in the cavity of the chest,
or it may find its way by opening into the stomach and be vom-
ited, or it may escape externally by opening into the surface
of the body; which of these shall occur we cannot determine.
In chronic inflammation of the liver the preceding symp-
toms are present in a milder degree, but are slower in their
progress — they are attended with less feverishness. There is
present depression of spirits amounting sometimes to melan-
choly. As the disease progresses, diarrhoea, debility, wasting,
and dropsy are pretty sure to make their appearance, followed
by death from exhaustion.
Treatment. — Bilious derangement, "congestion of the
liver," or jaundice, is prone to occur in overfed children, and
produce sickness and diarrhoea, with light-colored, slimy
stools. This derangement (English cholera), under judicious
dietary, generally corrects itself by carrying off excess of bile
or badly-digested food. If, however, it continues more than a
day or two in spite of careful dieting and abstinence from
stimulative food, a mild mercurial will be of service, such as,
(for a child over three years of age):
Gray powder (mercury with chalk), i grain; prepared
chalk, 3 grains; magnesia, i grain. Given night and morn-
ing. Or: — Rhubarb powder, 3 grains; ipecacuanha powder,
one-fourth grain; nitre powder, 2 grains. Mix and give twice
a day.
In biliousness occurring to adults, and attended with sick-
ness, the first thing is to give the stomach as nearly as possible
entire rest by putting almost nothing into it while the vomiting
lasts. This may moreover be checked sometimes by small
pieces of ice taken into the mouth, and swallowed when par-
^9g MEDICINAL.
tially melted. Soda-water in small quantities frequently taken
is also serviceable. A mustard plaster on the pit of the stom-
ach assists also in checking sickness. When the sickness has
passed off, the greatest care in diet is required. Fish, poultry,
boiled mutton, with a moderate allowance of well-cooked green
vegetables, such as cauliflower, asparagus, marrows. Light
wine, such as claret, may be allowed.
Page 209
Presented as published in 1883. Historical recipes may not meet modern food-safety standards. Cook from the modern interpretation, not the original instructions.
AI-modernized reading of the original text
Acute inflammation of the liver is attended with great pain in the right side, extending to the right shoulder-blade,
and tenderness on pressure over the region of the organ, aggravated by lying on the left side. The pain in the region of the liver may be so acute as to make it difficult to distinguish from that of plurisy, while, on the other hand, the mistake is often made of regarding a limited extent of plurisy in the lower part of the chest as an attack of inflammation of the liver. With the pain there is, in inflammation of the liver, a varying degree of fever, thirst, loss of appetite, nausea, vomiting, hiccup. The urine becomes scanty and is high-colored. The bowels are frequently costive, the evacuations very pale, even white, showing a deficiency in the flow of bile. The same defect of flow of bile by the intestines causes its absorption into the circulation, giving rise to yellowness of the complexion and coats of the eye — jaundice. If the inflammation is not subdued, the pain will probably become of a throbbing character, severe shivering will occur, and an abscess form. This may burst into the chest and the matter be expectorated, or it may become the cause of serious mischief in the cavity of the chest, or it may find its way by opening into the stomach and be vomited, or it may escape externally by opening into the surface of the body; which of these shall occur we cannot determine. In chronic inflammation of the liver the preceding symptoms are present in a milder degree, but are slower in their progress — they are attended with less feverishness. There is present depression of spirits amounting sometimes to melancholy. As the disease progresses, diarrhoea, debility, wasting, and dropsy are pretty sure to make their appearance, followed by death from exhaustion.
Treatment. — Bilious derangement, "congestion of the liver," or jaundice, is prone to occur in overfed children, and produce sickness and diarrhoea, with light-colored, slimy stools. This derangement (English cholera), under judicious dietary, generally corrects itself by carrying off excess of bile or badly-digested food. If, however, it continues more than a day or two in spite of careful dieting and abstinence from stimulative food, a mild mercurial will be of service, such as, (for a child over three years of age):
Gray powder (mercury with chalk), i grain; prepared chalk, 3 grains; magnesia, i grain. Given night and morning. Or: — Rhubarb powder, 3 grains; ipecacuanha powder, one-fourth grain; nitre powder, 2 grains. Mix and give twice a day.
In biliousness occurring to adults, and attended with sickness, the first thing is to give the stomach as nearly as possible entire rest by putting almost nothing into it while the vomiting lasts. This may moreover be checked sometimes by small pieces of ice taken into the mouth, and swallowed when par-
tially melted. Soda-water in small quantities frequently taken is also serviceable. A mustard plaster on the pit of the stomach assists also in checking sickness. When the sickness has passed off, the greatest care in diet is required. Fish, poultry, boiled mutton, with a moderate allowance of well-cooked green vegetables, such as cauliflower, asparagus, marrows. Light wine, such as claret, may be allowed.