Every Man His Own Doctor: The Cold Water, Tepid Water, and Friction-Cure, as Applicable to Every Disease to Which the Human Frame Is Subject, and Also to the Cure of Disease in Horses and CattleClaridge, R. T. (Richard Tappin)
Science
Every Man His Own Doctor: The Cold Water, Tepid Water, and Friction-Cure, as Applicable to Every Disease to Which the Human Frame Is Subject, and Also to the Cure of Disease in Horses and Cattle
Claridge, R. T. (Richard Tappin)
Hydrotherapy; Veterinary medicine
_Weakness of Chest and Short Breathing._--A delicate lady was ordered
two packing-sheets, from the arm-pits to knees, and tepid bath 64°. Feet
being cold were rubbed in shallow foot-bath for a quarter of an hour,
then dried, and she walked about her chamber for a quarter of an hour
before going to bed.
_Itching of the Fingers, like the approach of Chilblains._--Wash hands
in tepid water, 64°, three times a day for five minutes; wear
heating-bandage from the wrist to the elbow.
XLVII.--SORE MOUTH--INFLAMED GUMS.
For this complaint, sweating twice a day, long tepid baths, head-baths,
and sitz-baths, were ordered. Tepid water, 68°, should be held in the
mouth.
XLVIII.--TOOTH-ACHE, PRESERVATION OF THE TEETH, ETC.
If the tooth is unsound, it must be stopped or extracted. Sometimes when
a tooth is plugged, the pressure on the nerve renders it insupportable.
At Geneva, a clever dentist avoided this painful result by first
cleaning out the tooth, then placing a small plate of metal very flat
and thin as a sort of shelf in the tooth, so as to leave a hollow below
it. By this means, he avoided the pressure upon the nerve, and the
stopping was not felt. This is foreign to our purpose; but I insert it
as a useful hint. In ordinary cases of tooth-ache, or inflammation of
the gums, fill the mouth with warm water; then with the hand dipped
frequently in cold water, rub the cheeks until it can be borne no
longer; then rub the gums even to bleeding, and bandage the face: if
pain returns in the night, repeat the rubbing. Long and often-repeated
tepid foot-baths are also useful.
A patient at Gräfenberg writes as follows:--"Priessnitz ordered me, for
tooth-ache and pain in my gums, to rub the back of my head and down my
neck often and for a long time. The first application afforded me
relief. After ten or fifteen minutes' rubbing, the pain would leave for
hours, and then return. Soon there was a longer interval between the
attacks: at last, the pain ceased altogether." The theory of this mode
of curing such an ailment is based upon true philosophical principles.
Who does not know that the nerves of the teeth centre in the back of the
head? It is evident, then, that by friction to that part, the
inflammation will be drawn from the gums.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account