To meet these, we have, besides rest
from care, change of air, and generous feed-
ing (all of which are of the greatest import-
ance), three sorts of tonics : blood-renewers ,
appctizei's, and nej-vines. Of the first class,
referring to works on Materia Medica for
others, the most valuable, in the generality
of cases, are iron and cod-liver oil. To the
second class belong the vegetable bittei^s^ as
gentian^ quassia^ eolu?nbo, chaviomile^ etc. ;
and the mineral acids ^ as arvinatic sulpluwic
<a:<:/<^ (elixir of vitroil) , and others. Under
the third head may be named quinine as
most largely and safely applicable to gen-
eral debility. Physicians also use, in some
selected cases, strychnia and phosphorics , as
powerful nervine tonics; but they are too
dangerous to allow in the family medicine
chest for use without medical advice. One
preparation, if \2^^^^ poison , and kept out
of the way of the children and of ignorant
servants, may sometimes find safe use as a
tonic both to the digestive organs and to the
nervous system ; tinctui^e of nicx vomica- ;
safe in the small dose of ten drops twice or
thrice daily.
Remedies for Special Diseases.
We have very few real and certian speci-
fics for the cure of particular diseases. The
great boast of the medical profession is of its
power to stop ' ' chills and fever ' ' and con-
trol other kinds of malarial attacks with
quinine, and with some other preparations
from the same source, namely, the Peruvian
500
Bark. Syphilis is, undoubtedly, curable in
the large maj ority of cases , timely attended
to, by the skilful use of two remedies, mer-
cury (various preparations) and iodide of
:fnWr'
TUBERCULOUS LUNG.
potassium. Itch is always conquerable by
a sufficient application of sulphur, in oint-
ment or otherwise.
Scurvy is curable, without much aid
from medicines (tonics if any) hy fresh vege-
table food ; as potatoes, onions, oranges,
lemons, etc. hiflammatory rhezcmatism is
beneficially influenced by salicylic acid and
alkalies (potassa, soda, lithia) ; as gout has
been long known to be by colchicum.
Besides antidotes for actual poisons, and
medicines which kill or drive out woi-ms
from the bowels, we cannot claim any other
clear examples of special remedies for parti-
cular diseases. It used to be said that
iodhie is a certain cure for goiti^e (enlarge-
ment of the thyroid gland in the neck). It
is no doubt generally serviceable in that
affection ; but it will not always cure it.
Quinine does not always cure ague. It
"breaks" the chills, but in one, two, or
three weeks they may come again ; and the
cure then has to be finished by a month or
two of a course of iroji.
There has not yet been discovered any
specific remedy for scarlet fever, measles,
whooping-cough, small-pox, typhoid or
typhus fever, yellow fever, or cholera. All
these diseases must be, therefore, conducted
through the attack as safel}^ as possible;
meeting the symptoms as they occur, with
the most reasonable measures we know of.
2>7
PRINCIPAL MEDICINES AND OTHER REMEDIES
For the reader's convenience, we will
now give a brief account of the principal
medicine in general use likely to be par-
ticularly mentioned in the following, pages.
As they are ahlphabetically arranged, there
will be no difficulty in finding any one of
them for reference.
Page 165
Presented as published in 1901. 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
To meet these, we have, besides rest from care, change of air, and generous feeding (all of which are of the greatest importance), three sorts of tonics : blood-renewers , appetizers, and nervines. Of the first class, referring to works on Materia Medica for others, the most valuable, in the generality of cases, are iron and cod-liver oil. To the second class belong the vegetable bitters, as gentian, quassia, columbo, chamomile, etc. ; and the mineral acids ^ as aromatic sulphuric acid (elixir of vitroil) , and others. Under the third head may be named quinine as most largely and safely applicable to general debility. Physicians also use, in some selected cases, strychnia and phosphorics , as powerful nervine tonics; but they are too dangerous to allow in the family medicine chest for use without medical advice. One preparation,if kept as a poison , and kept out of the way of the children and of ignorant servants, may sometimes find safe use as a tonic both to the digestive organs and to the nervous system ; tincture of nux vomica; ; safe in the small dose of ten drops twice or thrice daily.
Remedies for Special Diseases.
We have very few real and certian specifics for the cure of particular diseases. The great boast of the medical profession is of its power to stop ' ' chills and fever ' ' and control other kinds of malarial attacks with quinine, and with some other preparations from the same source, namely, the Peruvian
Bark. Syphilis is, undoubtedly, curable in the large majority of cases , timely attended to, by the skilful use of two remedies, mercury (various preparations) and iodide of
:fnWr'
TUBERCULOUS LUNG.
potassium. Itch is always conquerable by a sufficient application of sulphur, in ointment or otherwise.
Scurvy is curable, without much aid from medicines (tonics if any) hy fresh vegetable food ; as potatoes, onions, oranges, lemons, etc. Inflammatory rheumatism is beneficially influenced by salicylic acid and alkalies (potassa, soda, lithia) ; as gout has been long known to be by colchicum.
Besides antidotes for actual poisons, and medicines which kill or drive out worms from the bowels, we cannot claim any other clear examples of special remedies for particular diseases. It used to be said that iodhie is a certain cure for goitre (enlargement of the thyroid gland in the neck). It is no doubt generally serviceable in that affection ; but it will not always cure it. Quinine does not always cure ague. It "breaks" the chills, but in one, two, or three weeks they may come again ; and the cure then has to be finished by a month or two of a course of iroji.
There has not yet been discovered any specific remedy for scarlet fever, measles, whooping-cough, small-pox, typhoid or typhus fever, yellow fever, or cholera. All these diseases must be, therefore, conducted through the attack as safely as possible; meeting the symptoms as they occur, with the most reasonable measures we know of.
2>7
PRINCIPAL MEDICINES AND OTHER REMEDIES
For the reader's convenience, we will now give a brief account of the principal medicine in general use likely to be particularly mentioned in the following, pages. As they are alphabetically arranged, there will be no difficulty in finding any one of them for reference.