Mother's Remedies: Over One Thousand Tried and Tested Remedies from Mothers of the United States and CanadaRitter, Thomas Jefferson
Science
Mother's Remedies: Over One Thousand Tried and Tested Remedies from Mothers of the United States and Canada
Ritter, Thomas Jefferson
Etiquette; Formulas, recipes, etc.; Medicine, Popular
Symptoms. Ordinary Form.--Incubation is of unknown length and occasionally
marked by want of appetite, headache, and pain in the back. The invasion
is usually sudden, chill, projectile vomiting, throwing forward, severe
headache, pain and rigidity of the back of the neck, pain in various parts
of the body, skin over-sensitive, irritable, and temperature about 102
degrees, with all symptoms of an active fever. Later, pains are very
severe, especially in the head, neck and back; the head is drawn back;
often the back is rigid; the muscles of the neck and back are tender and
attempts to stretch them cause intense pain. The vomiting now is less
prominent. Temperature is extremely irregular, 99 to 105 degrees or more.
Pulse is slow, often 50 to 60, and full and strong at first. The delirium
is of a severe and variable type in common, alternating with partial or
complete coma, the latter predominating toward the close of fatal attacks.
Stimulation of nerve centers causes cross-eyed look, drooping of upper
eyelid, movement of eyeballs unequal, contracted, dilated, or sluggish
pupils; acute and painful hearing, spasmodic contractions of the muscles
followed by paralysis of the face muscles, etc. The disease may last
several hours or several months. Many die within five days. In fatal cases
the patient passes into seemingly deep sleep with symptoms of a very
prostrating and weakening fever, and often retention of urine. Mild cases
occur with only a little fever, headache, stiff muscles of the neck,
discomfort in back and extremities. The malignant type occurs epidemically
or sporadically.
[210 MOTHERS' REMEDIEs]
Malignant type.--Sudden invasion with severe chills, slight rise in
temperature, pain in the back of the neck, headaches, stupor, muscular
spasms, a slow pulse, often purple bleeding, eruption, coma and death
within hours, rather than days. This is a terrible disease, and a
physician is needed from the first. The death rate varies from twenty to
seventy-live per cent. Treatment must be given by a physician. Spinal
meningitis is inflammation of the membrane of the spinal cord along with
the accompanying back and extremity symptoms, while the head remains clear
and free from complications.
MENINGITIS.--This is an inflammation of the membranes covering the brain
alone, and generally commences with fever and severe headaches, with
avoidance of light and noise as these are painful. In some cases we have
delirium, stupor and coma.
Treatment.--Treatment must be given by a physician, but cold applications
to the head and back are generally good. The bowels also must be kept
open.
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