Symptoms. — The symptoms of this fever come generally at night, passing off in the morning. They are, shivering, heat of skin, thirst, furred tongue, frequent pulse, sometimes pain and tenderness of the abdomen, sickness. The sleep is dis- MEDICINAL. . r'? turbed by starting and moaning, the little patient is fretful and restless. Superadded to these, is a short, dry, hacking cough. The bowels are out of order, the appetite at times is good, at others fails altogether, the urine is scanty and high colored. The symptoms vary greatly in different cases; at times the brain seems to be affected, and there may be convulsions; this form is, of course, dangerous. In other cases there is profuse diar- rhoea, and, in some, inflammation of the bowels, or lungs, occurs. This fever has been called " worm fever," from a mistaken idea that it is always caused by worms. Though undoubtedly intestinal worms may accompany the other symptoms, they are far from being its cause. Teething is much more frequently a cause; bad feeding, or over-feeding, excessive cold, may one and all produce the disease. Treatment. — Having removed all causes of irritation from the stomach and bowels, by means of castor oil, or a dose of syrup of senna, the patient should be placed on a light diet. As long as vomiting or diarrhoea continues, milk or milk gruel, or arrowroot, or both, should be given; if there be no diarrhoea, rice milk, bread pudding, and jellies may be given in addition to the above; no animal food should be allowed. In young infants, a still stricter diet is required, as the stomach is often very irritable, and will not bear the lightest farniaceous food. In such cases a tablespoonful of cream or new milk should be given every hour or hour and a half. A warm bath should be given for a few nights, and the patient should be kept in bed during the commencement of the illness and its acute periods. The thirst should be met with small pieces of ice or cold water. The following powder will be found useful to regulate the bowels, if they are disordered, if given at bed-time occasionally: Mercury, with chalk, 3 grains; powdered rhubarb, 5 grains; bicarbonate of soda, 2 grains. The following medicine may be taken when the fever is acute, the doses being apportioned according to age: Powdered nitre, 3 grains; ipecacuanha wine, 2 drachms; syrup, 3 drachms; water to make one and a half ounces. Take one teaspoonful three times a day. As signs of amendment begin to appear quinine wine or steel wine with quinine should be given. Inflammation. — Symptoms. — Inflammation, while it is cer- tainly the commonest form of disease, and the most frequent cause of both functional and structural maladies, is at the same time a condition much more frequently assumed than ascer- tained. There exists a common apprehension that any inter- nal pain, especially if it be attended with functional derange- ment, proceeds from inflammation of some internal organ. It is important that this misapprehension should be corrected if ^48 MEDICINAL possible, inasmuch as the treatment must differ widely, accord- ingly as inflammation is present, or mere congestion, or neuralgic pain.

AI-modernized reading of the original text

Symptoms. — The symptoms of this fever come generally at night, passing off in the morning. They are, shivering, heat of skin, thirst, furred tongue, frequent pulse, sometimes pain and tenderness of the abdomen, sickness. The sleep is dis- MEDICINAL. turbed by starting and moaning, the little patient is fretful and restless. Superadded to these, is a short, dry, hacking cough. The bowels are out of order, the appetite at times is good, at others fails altogether, the urine is scanty and high colored. The symptoms vary greatly in different cases; at times the brain seems to be affected, and there may be convulsions; this form is, of course, dangerous. In other cases there is profuse diarrhoea, and, in some, inflammation of the bowels, or lungs, occurs. This fever has been called " worm fever," from a mistaken idea that it is always caused by worms. Though undoubtedly intestinal worms may accompany the other symptoms, they are far from being its cause. Teething is much more frequently a cause; bad feeding, or over-feeding, excessive cold, may one and all produce the disease. Treatment. — Having removed all causes of irritation from the stomach and bowels, by means of castor oil, or a dose of syrup of senna, the patient should be placed on a light diet. As long as vomiting or diarrhoea continues, milk or milk gruel, or arrowroot, or both, should be given; if there be no diarrhoea, rice milk, bread pudding, and jellies may be given in addition to the above; no animal food should be allowed. In young infants, a still stricter diet is required, as the stomach is often very irritable, and will not bear the lightest farniaceous food. In such cases a tablespoonful of cream or new milk should be given every hour or hour and a half. A warm bath should be given for a few nights, and the patient should be kept in bed during the commencement of the illness and its acute periods. The thirst should be met with small pieces of ice or cold water. The following powder will be found useful to regulate the bowels, if they are disordered, if given at bed-time occasionally: Mercury, with chalk, 3 grains; powdered rhubarb, 5 grains; bicarbonate of soda, 2 grains. The following medicine may be taken when the fever is acute, the doses being apportioned according to age: Powdered nitre, 3 grains; ipecacuanha wine, 2 drachms; syrup, 3 drachms; water to make one and a half ounces. Take one teaspoonful three times a day. As signs of amendment begin to appear quinine wine or steel wine with quinine should be given. Inflammation. — Symptoms. — Inflammation, while it is certainly the commonest form of disease, and the most frequent cause of both functional and structural maladies, is at the same time a condition much more frequently assumed than ascertained. There exists a common apprehension that any internal pain, especially if it be attended with functional derangement, proceeds from inflammation of some internal organ. It is important that this misapprehension should be corrected if possible, inasmuch as the treatment must differ widely, accordingly as inflammation is present, or mere congestion, or neuralgic pain.

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