Page:Linda Hazzard - Fasting for the cure of disease.djvu/86

 when the fluid raised is yellow or yellowishgreen in hue, and when nausea occurs at infrequent intervals. But, if the color changes to a vivid green or, as it does in instances of acute organic derangement, to black, the case may be considered as most serious in character and of doubtful prognosis. When nausea is present during a fast, it is far better to aid elimination in ridding the stomach of its contents through the mouth than to permit them to remain with the certainty of partial reabsorption and re-toxication. If difficulty is found in raising the contents of the stomach, titillation of the palate with the end of the finger or with a feather will cause the convulsive muscular contraction necessary; and the drinking of warm water will ease the act of retching and, at the same time, will cleanse the walls of the stomach.

There are patients with livers organically diseased who undergo the fast without the appearance of bilious vomit. Observation in post mortem examinations leads to the conclusion that these subjects are invariably effected with some stage of a cirrhosed or hardened liver, and are outwardly of an emaciated or wiry type. On the other hand, those in whom excessive vomiting occurs during