stertorousHarsh snoring or gasping sound.
steviaPlant of the genus Stevia or Piqueria, having white or purplishflowers.
stilettoSmall dagger with a slender, tapering blade. Small, sharp-pointedinstrument used for making eyelet holes in needlework.
stillingiaGenus of widely distributed herbs and shrubs (family Euphorbiaceae). Thedried root of a plant of the genus Stillingia (S. sylvatica) wasformerly used as a diuretic, and laxative.
stomachicRelating to the stomach; gastric. Beneficial to digestion. An agent thatstrengthens the stomach.
strychnineExtremely poisonous white crystalline alkaloid, C21H22O2N2, derived fromnux vomica and related plants, used to poison rodents and topically inmedicine as a stimulant for the central nervous system.
stupeHot, wet, medicated cloth used as a compress.
St. Vitus' DanceSee chorea
stye (hordeolum)Inflamed swelling of a sebaceous gland at the margin of an eyelid.
suetyConsisting of, or resembling, suet (hard fatty tissues around thekidneys of cattle and sheep, used in cooking and for making tallow.)
sugar of leadlead acetate, a poisonous white crystalline compound, Pb(C2H3O2)2.3H2O,used in hair dyes, waterproofing compounds, and varnishes.
sumbulRoot of a plant of the genus Ferula (F. sumbul); formerly a tonic andantispasmodic.
Summer complaint (summer diarrhea)Diarrhea of children that in hot weather; often caused by ingestion offood contaminated by microorganisms.
Sulphonal Produced by combining mercaptan and acetone; employed as a hypnotic.
sulphuric etherEthyl ether; formerly called Naphtha vitrioli (naphtha of vitriol).
sumac (sumach)Shrubs or small trees of the genus Rhus, having compound leaves,clusters of small greenish flowers, and usually red, hairy fruit. Somespecies, such as the poison ivy and poison oak, cause an acute itchingrash on contact.
suppurationFormation or discharge of pus. Also called pyesis, pyopoiesis, pyosis.
suprarenalLocated above the kidney; a suprarenal part, especially an adrenalgland.
sweet williamAnnual, biennial, or perennial herb (Dianthus barbatus), native toEurasia, widely cultivated as an ornamental for its flat-topped denseclusters of varicolored flowers.
synechiaAdhesions between the iris and the lens or cornea caused by trauma oreye surgery or as a complication of glaucoma or cataracts; may causeblindness
terebentheneOil of turpentine.
terebinthMediterranean tree (Pistacia terebinthus), a source of tanning materialand turpentine.
tetterSkin diseases (eczema, psoriasis, herpes) that cause eruptions anditching.
thrallSlave or serf, who is held in bondage. One intellectually or morallyenslaved.
thrushA contagious childhood disease caused by a fungus, Candida albicans.Causes small whitish eruptions on the mouth, throat, and tongue, andusually accompanied by fever, colic, and diarrhea.
thuja (arborvitae)A North American or east Asian evergreen tree or shrub of the genusThuja, having flattened branchlets with opposite, scale-like leaves andsmall cones; used as ornamentals and timber. A similar plant of thegenus Platycladus or Thujopsis.
thymolWhite, crystalline, aromatic compound, C10H14O, derived from thyme oiland other oils or made synthetically and used as an antiseptic, afungicide, and a preservative.
tolu (balsam of tolu, tolu balsam) Aromatic yellowish brown balsam from the tolu balsam tree used in cough syrups.
tormentil (Potentilla erecta) Plant of northern Europe found in clearings and meadows. The root has been used to stop bleeding, for food in times of need and to dye leather red.
torpidLacking the power of motion or feeling.
tragacanthThorny shrubs of the genus Astragalus, especially A. gummifer, of theMiddle East, yielding a gum used in pharmacy, adhesives, and textileprinting.
trephineSurgical instrument with circular edges, used to cut out disks of bonefrom the skull.
trillium (birthroot, wake-robin) Plants of genus Trillium, of North America, the Himalaya Mountains, and eastern Asia, having a cluster of three leaves and a variously colored, three-petaled flower.
trionalContains three ethyls. Similar to sulphonal, used as a hypnotic.
turbinatedShaped like a top. A small curved bone in the lateral wall of the nasalpassage.
tulleFine, starched net of silk, rayon, or nylon, used for veils, tutus, orgowns.
turmeric (tumeric)East Indian perennial herb (Curcuma longa) of the ginger family(Zingiberaceae) used as a coloring agent, a condiment, or a stimulant.Yellow to reddish brown dyestuff obtained from turmeric.
typhus (prison fever, ship fever, typhus fever.) Infectious diseases caused by rickettsia bacteria, especially those transmitted by fleas, lice, or mites. Symptoms are severe headache, sustained high fever, depression, delirium, and the eruption of red rashes on the skin.
ulsterLoose, long overcoat made of rugged fabric.
umbrageOffense; resentment. Affording shade. Vague or indistinct indication; ahint.
Uva UrsiCommon bearberry; a procumbent (trailing along the ground but notrooting) evergreen shrub 10-30 cm high with red berries.
Valerianate (Valerianic)One of three metameric acids; the typical one (called also inactivevaleric acid), C4H9CO2H, is from valerian root and other sources; it isa corrosive, oily liquid, with a strong acid taste, and the odor of oldcheese.
valvularResembling or functioning as a valve. Relating to a valve, especially ofthe heart.
varioloidMild form of smallpox occurring in people previously vaccinated or whopreviously had the disease.
vegetable marrowSquash plants with elongated fruit and smooth dark green skin andwhitish flesh.
veratrumPoisonous alkaloid from the root hellebore (Veratrum) and from sabadillaseeds. Used externally to treat neuralgia and rheumatism.
verdigrisBlue or green powder, basic cupric acetate used as a paint pigment andfungicide. A green patina of copper sulfate or copper chloride oncopper, brass, and bronze exposed to air or seawater.
vermifugeMedicine that expels intestinal worms.
vervain (verbena)New World plants of the genus Verbena, especially those with showyspikes of variously colored flowers.
Vichy waterSparkling mineral water from springs at Vichy, France or water similarto it.
vis-a-visOne that is face to face with or opposite to another.
vitiateReduce the value; impair the quality; corrupt morally; debase; makeineffective; invalidate.
voileLight, plain-weave, sheer fabric of cotton, rayon, silk, or wool usedfor dresses and curtains.
wahooShrubby North American tree of the genus Euonymus (E. atropurpureus)having a root bark with cathartic properties.
Waldorf saladDiced raw apples, celery, and walnuts mixed with mayonnaise.
wenHarmless cyst, usually on the scalp or face, containing the fattysecretion of a sebaceous gland.
whortleberryTwo deciduous shrubs, Vaccinium myrtillus, of Eurasia, or V. corymbosum,of eastern North America, having edible blackish berries.
wontednessBeing accustomed.
yarrowPlants of the genus Achillea, especially A. millefolium, native toEurasia. Also called achillea, milfoil.
yellow fever (yellow jack)Infectious tropical disease caused by an arbovirus transmitted bymosquitoes of the genera Aedes, especially A. aegypti, and Haemagogus;it causes high fever, jaundice, and gastrointestinal hemorrhaging.
yerba reumaA low California undershrub (Frankenia grandifolia).
ZingiberTropical Asiatic and Polynesian perennial plants: ginger.
zwiebackSweetened bread baked as a loaf and then sliced and toasted.
The following table is copied from page 636.
20 grains equal 1 scruple 3 scruples " 1 dram 8 drams " 1 ounce 12 ounces " 1 pound
The pound is the same as the pound Troy. Medicines are bought and sold in quantities by Avoirdupois Weight.
1 grain equals 1 drop or 1 minim 60 grains or drops " 1 teaspoonful 1 teaspoonful " 1 fluid dram 8 drams (or 8 teaspoonfuls) make " 1 fluid ounce 2 tablespoonfuls make " 1 fluid ounce 1/2 fluid ounce is a " tablespoonful 2 fluid ounces is a " wineglassful 4 fluid ounces is a " teacupful 6 fluid ounces is a " coffee cup 16 ounces (dry or solid) is a " pound 20 fluid ounces is a " pint
The remaining tables are copied from contemporary (circa 2005) sources
Measurement Unit Conversion
From Multiply by To get inches 25.4 millimeters inches 2.54 centimeters feet 30.48 centimeters yards 0.91 meters miles 1.61 kilometers teaspoons 4.93 milliliters tablespoons 14.79 milliliters fluid ounces 29.57 milliliters cups 0.24 liters pints 0.47 liters quarts 0.95 liters gallons 3.79 liters cubic feet 0.028 cubic meters cubic yards 0.76 cubic meters ounces 28.35 grams pounds 0.45 kilograms short tons (2,000 lbs) 0.91 metric tons square inches 6.45 square centimeters square feet 0.09 square meters square yards 0.84 square meters square miles 2.60 square kilometers acres 0.40 hectacres
millimeters 0.04 inches centimeters 0.39 inches meters 3.28 feet meters 1.09 yards kilometers 0.62 miles milliliters 0.20 teaspoons milliliters 0.06 tablespoons milliliters 0.03 fluid ounces liters 1.06 quarts liters 0.26 gallons liters 4.23 cups liters 2.12 pints cubic meters 35.32 cubic feet cubic meters 1.35 cubic yards grams 0.035 ounces kilograms 2.21 pounds metric ton (1,000 kg) 1.10 short ton square centimeters 0.16 square inches square meters 1.20 square yards square kilometers 0.39 square miles hectacres 2.47 acres
Temperature Conversion Between Celsius and Fahrenheit
C = (F - 32) / 1.8F = (C x 1.8) + 32
Condition Fahrenheit CelsiusBoiling point of water 212 100A very hot day 104 40Normal body temperature 98.6 37A warm day 86 30A mild day 68 20A cool day 50 10Freezing point of water 32 0Lowest temperatureby mixing salt and ice 0 -17.8
U.S. Length
Unit Equal to Metric Equivalent inch 1/12 foot 2.54 centimeters foot 12 inches or 1/3 yard 0.3048 meter yard 36 inches or 3 feet 0.9144 meter rod 16 1/2 feet or 5 1/2 yards 5.0292 meters furlong 220 yards or 1/8 mile 0.2012 kilometer mile (statute) 5,280 feet or 1,760 yards 1.6093 kilometers mile (nautical) 2,025 yards 1.852 kilometers
U.S. Liquid Volume or Capacity
Unit Equal to Metric Equivalent minim 1/60 of a fluid dram 0.0616 milliliters ounce 1/16 pint 29.574 milliliters wineglassful 2 ounces .0591 liter gill 4 ounces 0.1183 liter pint 16 ounces 0.4732 liter quart 2 pints or 1/4 gallon 0.9463 liter gallon 128 ounces or 8 pints 3.7853 liters
barrel (wine) 31 1/2 gallons 119.24 liters (beer) 36 gallons 136.27 liters (oil) 42 gallons 158.98 liters
U.S. Dry Volume or Capacity
Unit Equal to Metric Equivalent pint 1/2 quart 0.5506 liter quart 2 pints 1.1012 liters peck 8 quarts or 1/4 bushel 8.8098 liters bucket 2 pecks 17.620 liters bushel 2 buckets or 4 pecks 35.239 liters
U.S. Weight
Unit Equal to Metric Equivalent grain 1/7000 pound 64.799 milligrams dram 1/16 ounce 1.7718 grams ounce 16 drams 28.350 grams pound 16 ounces 453.6 grams ton (short) 2,000 pounds 907.18 kilograms ton (long) 2,240 pounds 1,016.0 kilograms
U.S. Geographic Area
Unit Equal to Metric Equivalent acre 4,840 square yards 4,047 square meters
Cooking Measures
Unit Equal to Metric Units drop 1/76 teaspoon 0.0649 milliliter teaspoon 76 drops or 1/3 tablespoon 4.9288 milliliters tablespoon 3 teaspoons 14.786 milliliters cup 16 tablespoons or 1/2 pint 0.2366 liter pint 2 cups 0.4732 quart 4 cups or 2 pints 0.9463
British Liquid Volume or Capacity
Unit British Units U.S. Units Metric Units minim 1/20 of a scruple 0.0592 milliliters pint 1/2 quart 1.201 pints 0.5683 liter quart 2 pints or 1/4 gallon 1.201 quarts 1.137 liters gallon 8 pints or 4 quarts 1.201 gallons 4.546 liters
British Dry Volume or Capacity
Unit British Units U.S. Units Metric Units peck 1/4 bushel 1.0314 pecks 9.087 liters bushel 4 pecks 1.0320 bushels 36.369 liters
Apothecary Weights
Unit Apothecary Units U.S. Units Metric Units grain 160 dram or 1/5760 pound 1 grain 64.799 milligrams dram 60 grains or 1/8 ounce 2.1943 drams 3.8879 grams ounce 8 drams 1.0971 ounces 31.1035 grams pound 12 ounces or 96 drams 0.8232 pound 373.242 grams
[End Transcriber's Notes]
MOTHER'S' REMEDIESOver One ThousandTried and Tested Remedies from Mothers ofthe United States and Canada.
AlsoSymptoms, Causes, Prevention, Diet, Nursing,Treatments, Etc., of Every Known Disease.Poisons, Accidents, Medicinal Herbs andSpecial Departments on Women, Children andInfants,
byDR. T. J. RITTERFormerly connected with Medical Faculty ofUniversity of Michigan at Ann Arbor, Mich.
REVISED with INTRODUCTIONbyDR. W. E. ZIEGENFUSS
PUBLISHED BYG.H. FOOTE PUB. CO.DETROITMICH1921
Copyright, 1910byG. H. FOOTE PUBLISHING CO.All rights reserved
Copyright, 1915byG. H. FOOTE PUBLISHING CO.All rights reserved
PREFACE. [iii]
Medicine is not an exact science, and it is reasonable to presume that even Time, with all its qualifying influences, will fail in its effects on this one branch of science. As the millions of faces seem each to present some differentiating feature, so each human system seems to require special study of its individual temperament.
So physicians find it necessary to have more than one remedy for a given ill; they still find truth in the old adage, "What is one man's meat is another's poison." But Mother finds a variety of remedies necessary for another reason. Her medicine-chest is usually lacking the full quota of drugs required to meet the many emergencies, and she must turn to the "remedy at hand."
Necessity has again proved its influence and with the years thousands of simple home concoctions have found their way to the relief of the daily demands on Mother's ingenuity. These mothers' remedies have become a valuable asset to the raising of a family, and have become a recognized essential in a Mother's general equipment for home-making.
For fifteen years the Publisher has handled so-called home medical works; during that time he has had occasion to examine practically all the home medical works published. He has been impressed with the utter uselessness of many, perhaps most, of these books because the simple home remedies were lacking.
A few years ago he conceived the idea of gathering together the "Mothers' Remedies" of the world. This one feature of this book he claims as distinctly his own. Letters were sent by him to Mothers in every state and territory of the United States, and to Canada and other countries, asking for tried and tested "Mothers' Remedies." The appeal was met with prompt replies, and between one thousand and two thousand valuable remedies were collected in this way.
Through courtesy to these Mothers who helped to make this book possible, the book was named "MOTHERS' REMEDIES."
Dr. T. J. Ritter, of Ann Arbor, Michigan, a graduate of the regular School of Medicine at the University of Michigan, at Ann Arbor, and later one of the medical staff of the University, consented to furnish the necessary material to complete the Medical Department. Dr. Ritter, in over thirty years of actual practice, has met with all the exigencies of both city and country practice which have brought to him the ripe experience of what would be called a "physician's life-time." His success has been, in part, due to his honesty, kindliness and conscientiousness, as well as to his thorough training and natural adaptability to the profession.
Besides writing the Causes, Symptoms, Preventives, Nursing, Diet, Physicians' Treatment, etc., he has examined each and every one of the Mothers' Remedies and added, when possible, the reason why that remedy is valuable. In short, he supplied in his remarks following each Mother's Remedy the Medical virtue or active principle of the ingredients. This lifts each Mother's Remedy into the realm of science,—in fact, to the level of a Doctor's Prescription.
In writing his part, Dr. Ritter consulted, personally or through their works, considerably over one hundred of the acknowledged Medical Specialists of the world. Thus he has brought to you the latest discoveries of modern science,—the Medical knowledge of the world's great specialists.
Dr. Ritter, therefore, wishes to acknowledge his indebtedness to the following: On the subject of Theory and Practice, to Dr. Wm. Osler, Oxford University, England; Dr. James M. Andres, Ph. D., Medico-Chirurgical College, Philadelphia, Pa.; Dr. Hughes Dayton, Vanderbilt Clinic-College of Physicians and Surgeons; Dr. Hobart A. Hare, Jefferson Medical College, Philadelphia, Pa.; Dr. Temple S. Hoyne, Hahnemann Medical College, Chicago, Ill.; Dr. A. E. Small, Hahnemann Medical College, Chicago, Ill.; Dr. C. G. Raue, Hahnemann Medical College, Philadelphia, Pa.; Dr. John King, Eclectic Medical Institute, Cincinnati, Ohio. On the subject of Materia Medica to Dr. John Shoemaker, Medico-Chirurgical College, Philadelphia, Pa.; Dr. Hobart A. Hare; Drs. Hemple and Arndt, Homeopathic, and others. On the subject of Obstetrics, to Dr. W. P. Manton, Detroit Medical College, and others. On the subject of Surgery, to the American Text Book on Surgery, edited by Drs. Keen and White, of Philadelphia, and many contributors. On the subject of Nervous Diseases, to Dr. Joseph D. Nagel and others. On the subject of the Eye, to Dr. Arthur N. Alling, of Yale University. On the subject of the Ear, to Dr. Albert H. Buck, College of Physicians and Surgeons, New York City; Dr. O. A. Griffin, University of Michigan and others. On the Nose and Throat, to Dr. James B. Ball, London, England. On the Skin, to Dr. James N. Hyde, Rush Medical College, Chicago, Ill.; Dr. Alfred Schalek, Rush Medical College, Chicago, Ill. On the Rectum and Anus, to Dr. Samuel G. Gant, Ph. D., Post-graduate College, New York City. On the Diseases of Children, to Dr. L. Emmett Holt, College of Physicians and Surgeons, New York City; Dr. Koplik, New York City; Dr. Charles Douglas, Detroit College of Medicine; Dr. Henry E. Tuley, University of Kentucky; Dr. Tooker, Chicago. On the subject of Nursing, to Isabel Hampton Robb, and on Dietetics, to Dr. Julius Friedenwald, College Physicians and Surgeons, Baltimore, Md. On the Baby to Drs. Holt, Douglas, Tooker, Koplik and Coolidge. On Insanity, to Dr. Selden Talcott, formerly superintendent of the Middleton State Hospital for the Insane, New York State. Besides the above a great many other physicians and their works might be mentioned, and to all appreciation is gratefully acknowledged.
Mrs. Elizabeth Johnstone, who writes the department on "Manners and Social Customs," is the only daughter of the late Francis Gardiner, one of the early settlers of Washtenaw County, Michigan. She was educated at the State Normal School, now the Normal College at Ypsilanti, and taught for several years after graduation. In 1880 she married the late Robert Ferguson Johnstone, editor of the Michigan Farmer, and after his death became editor of the Household Department of that paper. In 1895, the Farmer having passed into other ownership, she became a member of the Editorial Staff of the Detroit Free Press, where,—continuing to write under the pseudonym of "Beatrix" she has become widely known through the vast circulation of that paper.
Years of experience have enabled her to write on topics of interest to women with comprehension of their needs, and to answer social inquiries with exactness.
Miss Edna Gertrude Thompson, who supplies the chapter on Domestic Science, is a graduate of the Northern State Normal of Michigan. She was for a time a teacher in the Public Schools of Michigan and New York State. Miss Thompson later graduated from and is now the director of the Domestic Science Department of the Thomas Normal Training School of Detroit, Michigan.
Miss Thompson has won an enviable reputation in Domestic Science work. She has avoided all of the quackery, self-exploitation and money schemes, which have proved a temptation to many in the work, and which have tended to brand the science as an advertising scheme, and confined herself to study, teaching and the legitimate development of the science. Her work in the Normal and in giving lectures on Domestic Science brings her in touch with large numbers of intelligent and practical women who realize that housekeeping and cookery must be reduced to a science. Luxuries of fifty years ago are necessities today. The increase in the cost of living without a corresponding advance in wages has made it imperative that method and system he installed in the home.
Domestic Science is still in the embryo, but let us hope it will, in a measure at least, prove a panacea for modern domestic ills and receive the encouragement and speedy endorsement that it deserves.
Beginning on PageMEDICAL DEPARTMENT 1Mother's Diagnosis 1Respiratory Diseases 6Animal Parasites, Diseases Caused by 44Skin, Diseases of 52Digestive Organs, Diseases of 97Kidney and Bladder, Diseases of 152Infectious Diseases 166Blood and Ductless Glands, Diseases of 249Nervous System, Diseases of 261Constitutional Diseases 314Circulatory System, Diseases of 337Eye and Ear, Diseases of 346Deformities 369Intoxicants and Sunstrokes 371Accidents, Emergencies and Poisons 376Herb Department 408Homeopathy 448Patent Medicines and Secret Formula, 465
Woman's DepartmentDiseases of Women 489Obstetrics or Midwifery 515All About Baby 544Nursing Department 623Schools of Medicine, Leading 669Operations 662Hot Springs of Arkansas 666Common Household Articles, Medical Uses of 668Mothers' Remedies, Unclassified 674
INDEXMedical 909Manners and Social Customs 944Miscellaneous 946
LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS [viii]
ADENOIDS Opposite Page 8APPENDIX, VERMIFORM (Showing Different Types) 116APPENDIX, VERMIFORM (When Affected by Inflammationand Gangrene, Necessitating an Operation) 116ARDIS (Baby Photo) 544BANDAGING, HOSPITAL METHOD 384BRONCHIAL TUBES AND LUNGS Opposite Page 6CIRCULATORY SYSTEM Opposite Page 337DIPHTHERIA Opposite Page 184DROWNING (Schaefer Method of Resuscitating) Opposite Page 399EYE BANDAGE, PLAN OF BORSCH'S Page 386HAND ARTERIES Opposite Page 392HAND NERVES Opposite Page 292HEART, STOMACH AND APPENDIX Opposite Page 97HERB PLATES:Bearberry Opposite Page 411Blood Root Opposite Page 413Boneset Opposite Page 414Canada Fleabane Opposite Page 430Chamomile, True Opposite Page 417Elder Flowers Opposite Page 422Elecampane Opposite Page 446Ginseng Opposite Page 424Indian Tobacco or Lobelia Opposite Page 417Mandrake or May-apple Opposite Page 429Marigold, Marsh Opposite Page 430Mustard Opposite Page 432Partridge Berry Opposite Page 432Pleurisy Root Opposite Page 434Rock Rose Opposite Page 431St. John's Wort Opposite Page 443Scouring Rush Opposite Page 414Seneca Snake Root Opposite Page 438Snake Head Opposite Page 408Tansy Opposite Page 437Wahoo Opposite Page 445Wormsted, American Opposite Page 446Wormwood Opposite Page 443
KIDNEYS, URETERS AND BLADDER Page 153MUSCULAR SYSTEM Opposite Page 323NERVOUS SYSTEM Page 262OBLIQUE BANDAGE OF THE JAW 380RITTER, DR. T. J. (Photo) Opposite Title PageSCIATIC NERVE Opposite Page 266SKELETON Opposite Page 369SKIAGRAPH (X-RAY PHOTOGRAPH) OF THE HAND 316SPIRAL BANDAGE OF THE FINGER 384SPIRAL BANDAGE OF THE FOOT 384SPIRAL REVERSED BANDAGE OF THE JAW 386TASTE BUDS 308THYROID GLAND (Goitre) Opposite Page 258
PHYSICIAN'S INTRODUCTION [x]
"Of the things which man can do or make here below, by far the most momentous, wonderful, and worthy, are the things we call Books." —CARLYLE.
"A good book may be among the best of friends. It is the most patient and cheerful of companions. It does not turn its back upon us in times of adversity or distress. It always receives us with the same kindness." —S. SMILES.
Of making books there seems no end. Some are good, some bad, and many just an encumbrance upon the book-shelves, neither of much use nor particularly harmful. Some books are to be read for cheer and amusement; some for reproof and correction; others to be studied for useful information and profit.
The Ideal Book.
There is a wide felt need for a worthy book of sound hygienic and medical facts for the non-medical people. The Ideal Book for this mission should be compact in form, but large enough to give the salient facts, and give these in understandable language; it must not be "loaded" with obsolete and useless junk of odds and ends which have long ceased to be even interesting; it must carry with it the stamp of genuine reliability; it should treat all the ordinary and most common forms of ailments and accidents; it must be safe in its teachings; it needs to be free from objectionable language and illustrations, so that all of any family may study and use it with profit; it must frequently warn of dangers ahead and urge the summoning of professional skill promptly, for there are many cases requiring the services of experienced physicians and surgeons in their treatment; it should advise remedies readily obtainable, as well as those for which long journeys to a drug store are required; and finally the book should be reasonable in price that those who most need it can afford to own it.
Need of Brevity.
The facts of hygiene and therapeutic measures are widely scattered through medical literature, and extend over hundreds of years of time. Many volumes have been written on diseases of the eye, the heart, liver, and stomach, brain and other organs, to understand which requires special technical education. It would be the height of folly to present these discussions to the laity in their original form, hence the necessity for condensation and presentation of the needful facts in the language of the people in whose interests the book is printed. In a book of fiction there may be need for useless verbiage for the sake of "making pages," but facts of vital importance and usefulness in our daily welfare need to be well boiled down and put into shape for ready reference. This has been done in "Mothers' Remedies" and I think it quite fulfills the ideal I have outlined above.
The title is rather odd upon first seeing it, but the most plausible when you become acquainted with its import. It surely becomes the best friend of the whole family. "It does not turn its back upon us in times of adversity," but cheerfully answers a thousand and one questions of vital importance to the household. In the hour of distress, when illness or accident befalls the dear ones, you may turn again and again to its pages without meeting disappointment.
Its Value. [x]
There are many books on household medicines, but in my opinion this is the most useful of them all, a very present help in time of need. You can go to it for helpful information without failing to find it. Is there serious illness in the house? It will tell you about it concisely and plainly, describing its symptoms, nature and course, and advise you to consult the family physician if of a serious nature before it is too late. In the chapters on accidents, emergencies and poisons, it tells you what to do at once while awaiting the doctor's arrival. He will be much pleased to see that you have made the proper effort to treat the case. Prompt treatment makes for prompt recovery.
The real value of any book, or what is sometimes called its intrinsic value, or utility, consists in what it avails to gratify some desire or want of our nature. It depends, then, wholly upon its qualities in relation to our desires. That which contributes in ever so small degree to the wellbeing of humanity is of greater value than silver or gold. This book contains hundreds of prescriptions, anyone of which will repay the small cost in money that it requires to possess it. In fact, the financial investment is so small when compared with the benefit derived from its pages that this feature need not be considered.
Examples.
In the stillness and loneliness of the night, away from medical help, there comes the hoarse barking cough of the child, perhaps, and a case of croup is upon the responsibility of the parents. The struggles and terror of the little patient throws the household into consternation, and all is excitement in a moment. If the mother ever knew what to do in such a case she is likely not able to recall the exact remedy at this time, the doctor is miles away, and the case is urgent.
A reference to the medical index of "Mothers' Remedies" under croup shows that on pages 27, 28 and 29, is a full description of the attack, and there are fifteen (15) home remedies given, many of which can be found in the house, and the spasm may be stopped by the use of one of them.
This is only one example of the use of this book. There are innumerable times when cases come up in the home, or accidents befall a dear one and a ready remedy is required; the book most likely contains it, and is willing to tell you if you consult it carefully.
Tuberculosis.
The article on tuberculosis is full of valuable rules on diet and hygiene for every person, whether he has the disease or not. A knowledge of the dangers and mode of spreading the disease is the best safeguard against having it. Where one person in every seven (7) dies of consumption it becomes imperative that full knowledge of the disease and its prevention should become widespread.
Accidents and Poisons. [xii]
Another department that illustrates the value of the book is that on Accidents and Poisons, where quick action is needed to prevent great suffering and danger and the salvation of life itself. One cannot always get the doctor in time. A quick reference to this part of the book will give the proper course of action to follow. The indicated mother's remedy or the physician's treatment as given here applied in the "nick of time" will save many a life in cases of burns, or accidental poisoning, or hemorrhage. I have been called in such cases where a simple drink of warm mustard water promptly used would have saved a life in carbolic acid poisoning. It is in the emergencies where a ready knowledge of the ways and means necessary to conserve life is most valuable; and it is in just such emergencies that one is most apt to forget what is best to do that a copy of Mothers' Remedies becomes a priceless boon of helpfulness.
All About Baby.
The Woman's Department, and the chapter on "All About Baby," alone contain priceless information for the guidance of the women of the home. It is like having a good doctor right in the house who is ready and able to answer more than 500 questions of vital interest about Baby. The book is thoroughly reliable, free from exaggerated statements and written in the plainest language possible so as to make it useful to every member of the home. The Herb Department gives a brief description of the more common and most useful plants and roots, with the time for gathering them, and the dose and therapeutic indication for their use. The botanical illustrations are correct and worthy of careful study.
Mothers' Remedies is unique in arrangement, and full of detail, but so well indexed that any portion of it, or any disease and remedy, can be readily found, and when found you will have a choice of home remedies ready at hand. This is one of the features of the book that distinguishes Mothers' Remedies from the usual home medical books heretofore sold.
This feature of the book cannot be too strongly impressed. Its value becomes apparent as soon as one consults its pages. Long chapters of descriptive reading filled with high sounding, technical terms may look very learned because the average reader does not understand it fully. But it is what one can obtain from a book that is usable that makes it valuable. In Mothers' Remedies this idea has been excellently carried out.
The Home Remedies.
If there was any question regarding the success of the book in this homelike arrangement, the utilization of the home remedies, in addition to the strictly medical and drug-store ingredients; it was promptly dispelled when the book was printed and presented to the people interested. It has proved to be the most wonderful seller on the market—the most usable and useful book ever offered the non-medical reader; because never before has a medical book contained the hundreds of simple home remedies from mothers. Because a physician tells you why the remedies are useful—the reason why the things used are efficacious.
Medical Terms. [xiii]
Frequently one comes across technical terms in the secular papers which, unless understood, obscure the sense of the reading. There is a dictionary of medical terms as a separate department which adds much to the usefulness of the work; the spelling, pronunciation and definition being concisely given in English.
Other Departments.
There are other departments, such as chapters on Manners and Social Customs, by an expert. Nursery Hints, Candy Making, Domestic Science, and Miscellaneous departments which interest every member of any average family in health as well as in sickness. The Candy Department provides many an evening's enjoyment for the young people.
In addition, the book gives under each disease the physician's remedies, the symptoms, causes, preventives wherever important, the diet, nursing, necessity for operations, and much other needful information for the sick-room. A complete chapter on Nursing and a detailed account of the Baby and its care is perhaps the most useful portion of the book to the mothers who desire to learn all about the baby. Many home medical books are of doubtful value by reason of exaggerated statements or vague and unusable directions regarding treatments. Mothers' Remedies stands squarely upon the foundation of utility and practical every-day usefulness. No matter how many other home medical books one may have, this is also needful because there's none other on the market like it. One of the missions of Mothers' Remedies in the home is the prevention of disease through its sound sanitary teachings. It was written exclusively for home use, and its instructions can be followed by anyone who can understand plain English, and the home remedies are extensively explained and recommended so that in emergencies one can always find something of value to use while awaiting the surgeon's arrival. It is a well-spring of usefulness in any home, and it gives me genuine pleasure to call attention to it in these few lines, and to bespeak for it the continued enthusiastic reception with which it has met heretofore.
(Signed) WM. ELLWOOD ZIEGENFUSS, M.D.Detroit, July 2, 1914.
The National Narcotic law makes it practically impossible for the laity to have prescriptions filled which contain opiates or cocaine.
We therefore have substituted other remedies quite as good whenever this was possible and still retain the efficiency of the prescription.
DR. W. E. ZIEGENFUSS.August, 1918.
STRIKING, CHARACTERISTIC SYMPTOMSof Many Diseases for Quick Reference and ComparisonWHEN IN DOUBTBEFORE CALLING THE DOCTOR.
APPENDICITIS.—Loss of appetite. There may be nausea and vomiting; there is usually a sudden onset of pain, often sharp and severe in the whole or part of the abdomen. Later the pain settles in the right groin. Patient lies on his back with his right knee drawn up. The muscles become rigid on the right side and later a lump appears in the right groin (iliac fossa).
ANEMIA.—This disease is a diminution of the total quantity of the blood of its red cells, or red corpuscles or of their Haemoglobin, the coloring matter of the red corpuscles. Some difficulty of breathing. Palpitation on least exertion, tendency to faint, headache, tired, irritable, poor or changeable appetite, digestive disturbances, constipation, cold hands and feet, difficult and painful menstruation (dysmenorrhea), irregular menstruation, leucorrhea. And when the skin is pale, yellowish green tinge, with perhaps flushed cheeks, it might properly be called chlorosis or "green sickness."
ADDISON'S DISEASE.—Great weakness, stomach and bowel disorders, weak heart and dark coloring (pigmentation) of the skin.
BRIGHT'S DISEASE.—Albumin and casts in the urine. The onset is usually gradual. There is paleness and puffiness of the eyelids, ankles or hands in the morning. Later increased dropsy of face and the extremities, pasty yellow complexion, dyspepsia, constipation and heart symptom.
BRONCHITIS, ACUTE. (Cold on the Chest.)—There is a feeling of tightness under the breastbone, with a dry hard cough and headache. This cough may make the chest feel raw and sore, especially in front.
CHOLERA MORBUS.—The onset is usually sudden with nausea, vomiting, and cramp-like bowel pains; vomits at first the stomach contents. Purging follows; vomiting and purging with severe cramps in abdomen and legs.
CROUP.—Child wakes up suddenly, perhaps at midnight, with a harsh barking cough, with difficulty of breathing, and it looks as if it could not get another breath. Then there is an easy spell and soon the spasm recurs.
CANCER OF THE STOMACH.—There is anemia and a gradual loss of weight. A peculiar color of the skin (cachexia), irregular vomiting, some bleeding of "coffee-ground" color. Progressive loss of weight. Dragging or burning in the region of the stomach.
CHICKEN POX.—Slight fever, chilly feelings. In twenty-four hours the eruption appears upon the body, face and forehead often only a few separate red pimples which soon become rounded vesicles; however, there may be few or many.
DIABETES.—The onset is gradual, glucose (sugar) is persistently in the urine. Great quantity of urine passed; six to forty pints in twenty-four hours. Thirst is great. Large quantities of water is taken. Loss of strength and weight, mouth is dry, tongue is red and glazed, skin is dry and wrinkled.
DIPHTHERIA.—This disease begins gradually, as a rule, with chilly feelings, pain in the back and limbs, pulse is faster, with a general redness of the throat before the formation of the membrane; with such symptoms there are great weakness, paleness, and a bad smelling breath. Soon a spot or spots may be seen on the tonsils, uvula or soft palate, but in a day or two a dirty white patch is seen on the tonsils and this may spread, and with it there is increased weakness, pallor, loss of appetite and fever. When the membrane is taken off of the tonsils there is left a raw surface, and the membrane rapidly reforms.
DYSENTERY.—The onset may be marked by diarrhea, followed by a severe, cramp-like bowel pain, with frequent small stools containing blood and mucus and accompanied by much straining (tenesmus).
DYSPEPSIA, ACUTE. (Acute Gastritis, Acute Indigestion).—Distress in the stomach, headache, thirst, nausea, vomiting, tongue heavily coated, foul breath, distaste for food, tender stomach.
ERYSIPELAS.—The onset is sudden, high fever, and a local redness with a sharply defined margin between it and a healthy skin. It frequently appears upon the nose and spreads over one cheek or both. It may show only a smooth raised skin, or there may be vesicles.
EARACHE.—This is very common in children. It comes frequently as an extension through the eustachian canal of a cold. The ache is only an evidence of congestion or inflammation in the ear. The child bursts out crying violently and nothing seems to make it stop. It may cry for some time then stop. When it is very young it is restless, and wants to move constantly, and refuses to be comforted by the soothing embraces of its mother. It is quiet only a few moments at a time and again renews its cries and restlessness. The cries are moaning and seem like hopeless cries. A child or infant that cries that way and will not be quieted, should be suspected of having earache, and hot applications of dry or wet heat should be applied to the ear. If such symptoms are neglected, in a few days you are likely to have a discharge running from the external canal (meatus) and perhaps permanent injury may be done to the drum membrane by ulceration. Warm water poured in the ear frequently relieves common earache.
GALL STONES.—Sudden agonizing pain in the right upper abdomen in the region of the liver, with vomiting, prostration, tenderness in that region. Pain generally comes at intervals in paroxysms. There may be pains in the stomach during the weeks when the attack is absent and the patient may think the stomach is the seat of the trouble.
IRITIS.—Pain is severe and worse at night, the iris looks cloudy, muddy, the pupil is small. There is congestion around the iris (ciliary congestion).
KIDNEY STONES.—Pain goes from the kidneys down through the ureter into the bladder and into the scrotum. There may be sand in the urine that makes it look like blood.
LA GRIPPE—The onset is usually sudden, with a chill, and all of the symptoms of an active fever, headache, bone-ache, a general ache all over. A feeling of extreme weakness; feels miserable and sick.
LOCK-JAW (Tetanus).—History of a wound. The muscles of the jaw may be stiff and set. When there are spasms the muscles remain stiff and hard for some time.
MALARIAL FEVER.—Chill, fever, and sweat, or one stage may be absent. There may be only a slight chilly feeling with fever almost all day and then remission.
MUMPS.—The swelling is in front and below and behind the ear. Hard to eat and the swallowing of vinegar is almost impossible.
MEASLES.—Comes on gradually. There is a feeling of tiredness and languor, headache followed shortly by sneezing, cold symptoms, running at the eyes, dry throat, cough, much like an ordinary cold in the head, but with a persistent, hard racking cough. The eruption appears first in the sides of the mouth, in the inner surface of the cheeks, lips, gums and soft palate, in size from that of a pin-head to that of a split pea. It appears then about the eyes and then on the face, chest and extremities. It is first in red spots and then gets blotchy. This is usually three to six days after the appearance of the cold (catarrh) symptoms.
MEASLES (German).—Chilliness, slight fever, pain in the back and legs, coryza. The eruption appears on the first or second day, on the face, then on the chest and in twenty-four hours over the whole body. The glands under the jaw enlarge.
OPHTHALMIA NEONATORUM. (Inflammation of Eyes at Birth).—A severe conjunctivitis in the newly-born baby, swelling and redness usually of both eyes, occurring on the second or third day after birth; very soon there is a discharge and shortly it becomes creamy pus which runs from the eyes when the lids are parted.
PLEURISY.—The onset may be sudden or gradual. Sudden with a chill, fever, a severe sharp pain, stitch in the side, made worse by respiration, coughing or moving. The cough is dry. The pain is near the breast and sometimes it extends to the back.
PNEUMONIA.—It begins with a chill, fever, pain in the lungs, expectoration with cough, and the material spit up may be mixed with blood (rusty sputa). Then also rapid rise of temperature, "grunting" breathing, the nostrils dilate, and the cheeks are flushed.
RHEUMATIC FEVER OR INFLAMMATORY RHEUMATISM.—A number of joints become involved. It spreads from one joint to another, very painful joints; profuse sweating.
SMALLPOX.—The onset is sudden and ushered in by a chill, nausea and vomiting, headache, and severe pains in the back and legs, without grip symptoms. There is a rapid rise of temperature. Usually on the fourth day after the onset small red pimples appear on the forehead, along the line of the hair and on the wrists. The temperature falls with the appearance of the eruption.
SPOTTED FEVER.—Marked loss of appetite, chill, projectile vomiting, severe headache, pain and stiffness of the back and neck. Later head is drawn back, often the back is rigid. The muscles of the neck and back are very tender.
SCARLET FEVER. (Scarlatina).—Comes on suddenly with loss of appetite, headache, sick stomach, perhaps vomiting, high fever, sore throat, vomiting may persist. The tongue is coated, edges are red; later it is red and rough; the so-called strawberry tongue. Usually within twenty-four hours an eruption appears, first upon the neck and chest which spreads rapidly over the face and the rest of the body. The eruption consists of red pimply elevations about the size of a pin-head, very close together, so that the body seems to be covered with a scarlet flush. If you look closely you can see these little pimply elevations.
TUBERCULOSIS OF THE LUNGS.—Irregular temperatures, respiration is more frequent than normal, pulse is rapid, cough, expectoration, night sweats, perhaps, and general failure of strength.
TONSILITIS. (Smooth and Follicular).—Commences with a chill, rapid rise of temperature, general aching in the back, and legs especially. The tonsils are large and red and spots may appear on them in a few hours. There may be no spots but a smooth; red, swollen tonsil, sometimes swollen to an enormous size. The spot and membrane, if any exists, are easily rubbed off and when this is done a glistening surface is seen, but not raw, as in diphtheria.
TYPHOID FEVER—There is a feeling of illness for a week or two and the patient is not able to work much, does not sleep well, dreams, has a dull headache, back of the neck may be stiff, nosebleed sometimes, with a feeling as if there was some fever, increasing feeling of weakness, and sick feeling. Finally the fever, etc., becomes more prominent with constipation and diarrhea.
ULCER OF THE CORNEA.—Light hurts the eyes very much, tears run freely and there is a feeling of something in the eye. The eyeball shows a rim of pink congestion about the cornea. The ulcer can be seen.
ULCER OF THE STOMACH.—Pain, local tenderness, bleeding. Distress after eating and vomiting of a very acid fluid. Pain in the region of the stomach and usually sharp pain in the back is the most constant symptom. It is increased by food at once and relieved by vomiting. The tenderness upon pressure is usually marked and is localized.
WHOOPING-COUGH.—Begins with symptoms of a cold in the eyes, nose, and the chest. The cough gradually becomes worse, usually in from seven to ten days; it comes in paroxysms (spells) and then the whoop.
RESPIRATORY DISEASES [6]Including CROUP, COLDS, SORE-THROAT, HOARSENESS,BRONCHITIS, ASTHMA, HAY-FEVER, PLEURISY,ADENOIDS, PNEUMONIA, ETC.
With Definition, Cause, Symptoms, Preventives,Mothers' Remedies, Physicians' Treatment;also Diet, Nursing and Sanitary Care; all for HomeUse and Reference.
THE ANATOMY OF THE NOSE.—The nose is divided by a middle partition (septum) into two cavities (nasal chambers or fossae) each being a wedge-shaped cavity, distinct by itself and extending from the nostril or anterior nares in front to the posterior openings behind and from the base of the skull to the hard palate below. Where the posterior opening or nares ends is called the nose-pharynx, The pharynx joins there with the cavities and hence called nose-pharynx. The partition (septum) is thin, one-tenth to one-eighth of an inch in thickness and is composed in front of cartilage (gristle) and behind of bone. In its normal state this partition (septum) should be perfectly straight, thin and in the middle line, The cartilaginous (gristle) portion is seldom found in this condition as, owing to its prominent location and frequent exposure to injury, blows and falling on the nose, the partition (septum) is often bent or turned to one side or the other so far in some cases as to close the nostril. The posterior part is composed of bone, and being well protected, is seldom found out of position or displaced, even when the cartilaginous portion is often badly deformed, The floor of the nose is formed by the upper jaw bone (maxillary) and the palate bone. The outer wall of the nose or nose cavity is the most complicated, for it presents three prominences, the turbinated bones, which extend from before backwards and partially divide the nose cavity into incomplete spaces called meatus passages. The turbinated bones are three in number, the inferior, middle and superior. They vary in size and shape, and owing to the relations they hear to the surrounding parts, and to the influence they exert on the general condition of the nose and throat, are of great importance. The inferior or lower turbinate bone is the largest and in a way is the only independent bone. The middle and superior are small. They are all concave in shape and extend from before backwards, and beneath the concave surface of each one of the corresponding passages or openings (meatus) is formed. The inferior or lower (meatus) opening or passage is that part of the nasal (nose) passage which lies beneath the inferior turbinate bone and extends from the nostrils in front to the passage behind the nose (post-nasal) (posterior nares) toward the pharynx. The middle opening (meatus) lies above the inferior turbinate bone and below the middle turbinate bone. The superior opening (meatus) is situated above the middle turbinate bone.
[Illustration: Bronchial Tubes and Lungs.]
The mucous membrane lining the nasal passages is similar to other mucous membranes. It is here called the Schneiderian membrane after the name of a German anatomist named Schneider. It is continuous through the ducts with the mucous membrane of all the various accessory cavities of the nose. It is quite thin, in the upper part over the superior turbinate bone and partition (septum) while it is quite thick over the lower turbinate bone, the floor of the nose cavity and the lower part of the partition. It is well supplied with blood vessels, veins, and glands for producing the necessary secretion.
The nose is an organ of breathing (respiration) and it warms and moistens the air we breathe and arrests particles of dust in the air before they enter the lungs. If the air we breathe is of an uneven temperature, or of marked degree of dryness, or if it is saturated with impurities, it always acts as a source of irritation to the mucous membrane of the upper respiratory tract, like the larynx. By the time the air reaches the pharynx, through the nose, it has become almost as warm as the blood, and also is well saturated with moisture. The mucous membrane that lines the nose cavity and especially that part over the lower turbinate bone, secretes from sixteen to twenty ounces of fluid daily. This fluid cleanses and lubricates the nose and moistens the air we breathe. Conditions may arise which interfere with this natural secretion. This may be due to the fact that some of the glands have shrunk or wasted (atrophied) and the secretion has become thick. This collects in the nose, decomposes and forms scabs and crusts in the nostrils. In this condition there will be dropping of mucus into the throat. This condition is usually only a collection of secretions from the nose,—which are too thick to flow away,—collect in the space behind the nose, and when some have accumulated, drop into the pharynx.
In order to be in good health it is necessary to breath through the nose, and to do this there must be nothing in the nose or upper part of the pharynx to interfere with the free circulation of the air through these cavities. The cavities of the nose may be partly closed by polpi (tumors) on the upper and middle turbinate bone, a spur on the (septum) partition, deviation of the partition or enlarged turbinate bones, or adenoids in the upper part of the pharynx. These troubles almost close up the nose sometimes and the person is compelled to breathe through his mouth. He not only looks foolish, talks thick, but is laying up for himself future trouble. By correcting the trouble in the nose and removing the adenoids in the upper part of the pharynx the patient can breathe through the nasal passages. If you take a tube you can pass it straight back through the lower channel (meatus) into the pharynx. It will touch the upper back wall of the pharynx. If the tube has a downward bend you can see it behind the soft palate and by attaching a string to that end you can draw it back out through the nostrils. In that way we plug the posterior openings (nares). The upper part of the pharynx reaches higher up behind than a line drawn horizontally above the tip of the nose to the pharynx. It reaches forward above the soft palate on its front surface. Its front surface is almost directly on a vertical line with tonsil, above the soft palate. On its upper part and on the side near the nose cavity is the opening of the eustachian tube.
The name naso-pharynx means the junction of the nose and pharynx. Sometimes the upper posterior wall of the pharynx, called the vault of the pharynx, especially the part behind each eustachian tube, is filled almost full with adenoids. These are overgrowths or thickenings of the glandular tissue in the upper posterior wall of the pharynx (vault of the pharynx).
ADENOIDS. (Pharyngeal Tonsil, Lursehkas Tonsil, Adenoid Vegetation, Post- nasal Growth.)—Adenoids are overgrowths or thickenings of the glandular tissue in the vault (top) of the pharynx. They are on the upper posterior wall of the pharynx, often filling the whole space, especially the part behind the ear-tube—eustachian tube.
They are a soft pliable mass, well supplied with blood vessels, especially in children. Some are firmer and these are the kind seen in adults. The color varies from pale pink to dark red. The structure is similar to enlarged tonsils.
[Illustration: Adenoids]
Symptoms.—Children breathe chiefly or wholly through the mouth. They are apt to breathe noisily, especially when they eat and drink. They sleep with their mouth open, breathe hard and snore. They have attacks of slight suffocation sometimes, especially seen in young children. There may be difficulty in nursing in infants; they sleep poorly, toss about in bed, moan, talk, and night terrors are common. They may also sweat very much during sleep. A constant hacking or barking cough is a common symptom and this cough is often troublesome for some hours before going to bed. Troubles with the larynx and pharynx are common and spasmodic laryngitis appears to be often dependent upon adenoids. Bronchial asthma and sneezing in paroxysms are sometimes connected with them. The chest becomes deformed. The prolonged mouth-breathing imparts to adenoid patients a characteristic look in the face. The lower jaw is dropped and the lips are kept constantly apart. In many cases the upper lip is short, showing some part of the upper teeth. The dropping of the jaw draws upon the soft parts and tends to obliterate the natural folds of the face about the nose, lips, and cheeks. The face has an elongated appearance and the expression is vacant, listless, or even stupid. The nose is narrow and pinched, from long continued inaction of the wings of the nose (alae nasi). The root of the nose may be flat and broad. When the disease sets in during early childhood, the palate may become high arched. If the disease continues beyond second teething, the arch of the palate becomes higher and the top of the arch more pointed. The upper jaw elongates and this often causes the front teeth to project far beyond the corresponding teeth in the lower jaw. The high arched palate is often observed to be associated with a deflected partition (septum) in the nose.
The speech is affected in a characteristic way; it acquires a dead character. There is inability to pronounce the nasal consonant sounds; m, n, and ng and the l, r, and th sounds are changed. Some backwardness in learning to articulate is often noticed.
Deafness is frequently present, varying in degree, transient and persistent. Attacks of earache are common and also running of the ears. The ear troubles often arise from the extension of catarrh from the nose-pharynx through the eustachian tubes to the middle ear. Sometimes the adenoids block the entrance to the tubes. The ventilation of the middle ear may be impeded. Dr. Ball, of London, England, says: "Ear troubles in children are undoubtedly, in the vast majority of cases, dependent upon the presence of adenoid vegetation" (growths).
Children with adenoids are very liable to colds in the head, which aggravate all the symptoms, and in the slighter forms of the disease the symptoms may hardly be noticeable, except when the child is suffering from a cold.
Chronic catarrh is often caused by adenoids. A chronic pus discharge often develops, especially in children. There is often a half-pus discharge trickling over the posterior wall of the pharynx from the nose-pharynx. And yet some children with adenoids never have any discharge from the nose. There may be more or less dribbling of saliva from the mouth, especially in young children, and this is usually worse during sleep. Headache is not uncommon when these growths persist into adult life: they continue to give rise to most of the symptoms just described, although these symptoms may be less marked because of the relatively larger size of the nose-pharynx. The older patients seek relief, usually, from nasal catarrh symptoms. They complain of a dry throat on waking and they hawk and cough, In order to clear the sticky secretion from the throat. The adenoids have often undergone a considerable amount of shrinking, but they frequently give rise to a troublesome inflammation of the nose and pharynx. Rounded or irregular red elevations will often be seen on the posterior wall of the pharynx, outgrowths of adenoid tissue in this region. Similar elevations are sometimes seen on the posterior pillars of the fauces. The tonsils are often enlarged. A good deal of thick discharge will sometimes be seen in the posterior wall of the pharynx proceeding from the nose-pharynx.
Although adenoids, like the normal tonsil, usually tend to diminish and disappear with the approach of youth, they constitute during childhood a constant source of danger and trouble and not infrequently inflict permanent mischief. Also children afflicted with adenoids are less able to cope with diphtheria, scarlet fever, measles, whooping-cough, etc.
Deafness, mouth-breathing habit, and imperfect resonance of the voice, as well as the characteristic expression of the face, will often remain as permanent effects of the impairment of function due to these growths in childhood, even though they have more or less completely disappeared. The collapsed state of the wings of the nose, and wasted condition of their muscles, resulting from long disease, often contributes to the perpetuation of the mouth-breathing habit. On the other hand the rapid improvement, after a timely removal of the growths, is usually very striking.
Treatment.—The only thing to do is to remove them soon, no matter how young the patient may be. An anaesthetic is usually given to children. The operation does not take long and the patient soon recovers from its effects. The result of an operation, especially in young children, is usually very satisfactory. Breathing through the nose is re-established, the face expression is changed for the better. The symptoms as before described disappear to a great extent.
COLDS. (Coryza. Acute Nasal Catarrh. Acute Rhinitis).—This is an inflammation of the mucous membrane lining the nose.
Causes.—Exposure to cold or wet when the body is overheated; sudden or extreme changes in the atmosphere; inhaling irritating fumes or dust.
Symptoms.—A chilly feeling, limbs ache, tendency to sneeze, severe headache above the nose, eyes are dry, stopped-up feeling in the nostrils. Then there is a thin watery discharge, usually of an irritating character, very thin at first, but it soon becomes thicker; sometimes the ears ring (tinnitus). The nose and lining is red and swollen.
MOTHERS' REMEDIES.—1. Colds. Borax for Cold Settled in Throat. "For a cold in the throat, dissolve a piece of borax, the size of a pea, in the mouth and don't talk. It will work like a charm." This is an old and well tried remedy and is very good for colds or sore throat. It acts by contracting the tissues and in that way there is less congestion in the parts.