We were not long in discovering that headaches, both of the mildest and
the severest types, might be accompanied either by a rush of blood to
the head, with flushing of the skin, reddening of the eyes, and a
bursting sense of oppression in the head, or, on the other hand, by an
absolute draining of the whole floating surplus of the blood into the
so-called "abdominal pool," the huge network of vessels supplying the
digestive organs, which, when distended, will contain nearly two-thirds
of the entire blood of the body, leaving the face blanched, the eyes
white and staring, and the brain so nearly emptied of blood as to cause
loss of consciousness or swooning. Other headaches, again, will be
accompanied by a fresh, natural color and a perfectly normal and healthy
distribution of the blood-supply. In short, the amount of blood in the
head, whether plus or minus, has practically nothing to do with the
pain, but depends solely upon the effect of the poisons producing it
upon the heart and great blood-vessels.
A good illustration of the full-blooded type of headache is that which
so very frequently, indeed almost invariably, occurs in the early stage
of a fever or other acute infection, such as typhoid, pneumonia, or
blood-poisoning, Here the face is red, the eyes are bloodshot and
abnormally bright, the pulse is rapid and full, the headache so severe
as to become the first disabling symptom in the disease,--all because
this is the effect of the poison (toxin) of the disease upon the heart,
the temperature, and the surface blood-vessels. Fortunately for the
sufferer, this head-pain, like most others in the course of severe
infections, is only preliminary, for as soon as the tissues of the body
have become thoroughly saturated with the toxins, the nerves become
dulled and semi-narcotized, so that they no longer respond with the
pain-cry. As the patient settles down into the depression and dullness
of the regular course of the fever, the headache usually subsides into
little more than a sense of heaviness, or oppression and vague
discomfort.
Moral: It is a sign of health to be able to feel a headache, an
indication that your body is still fighting vigorously against the
enemy, whether traitor within or foe without.
On the other hand, many of our most agonizing, and particularly our most
persistent and obstinate headaches, occur in individuals who are
markedly anaemic, with a low, weak pulse, poor circulation, blanched
lips, and dull, lackluster eyes. The one and only thing in common
between these two classes of "head-achers" is that their blood and
tissues are loaded with poisons. Whether produced by invading germs or
by starvation and malnutrition of the body-tissues makes no difference
to the headache nerves. Their business, like good watchdogs, is to bark
every time they smell danger of any sort, whether it be bears or
book-agents. One of the most valuable services rendered us by our
priceless heads is aching.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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