Page:Mrs Beeton's Book of Household Management.djvu/2140

1930 irritating, and nose becomes sore, Arsenicum. If discharge is very profuse, running like a tap, Kali hydriodicum 2x. Every 2 hours in each case.

Colic, or Pain in the Bowels.—The sufferer should have a warm bath, and be well covered up with clothes in bed, and have flannels, plunged in hot water and wrung out as dry as possible, applied to the bowels. If the pain makes the patient double up, especially if accompanied by diarrhœa, Colocynth 3; if the pain is accompanied by cold sweat on forehead, Veratrum album 6. In each case the medicine should be given hourly till relief is obtained. For colic accompanied by severe spasmodic pains, Belladonna is required; for colic arising from partaking of food too plentifully, Nux vomica; for intensification of pain at night, with nausea and loose greenish evacuations, Mercurius; for spasms and pain mainly caused by indigestion, Mercurius; for colic in infants, Chamomilla.

Constipation.—Where the constipation is habitual and obstinate an enema of warm water or of warm water gruel is of great assistance. For persons who have a bilious temperament and suffer from rheumatism, or when the constipation is accompanied by a chilly feeling, Bryonia is desirable; for constipation that is occasioned by sedentary occupation and accompanied by headache and a tendency to piles, Nux vomica is indicated, in alternation with Sulphur where constipation is habitual. Opium is useful when, with great difficulty of evacuation, there is absence of inclination and the stools are small and dark; when even a soft stool is passed with difficulty, Alumina 12. In each case a dose night and morning is sufficient.

Cough.—For a hard, dry cough, Aconitum napellus is required in the early stage, followed by Bryonia if necessary; for a cough with wheezing, difficulty of expectoration and need of keeping the head high in bed, Antimonium tartaricum; for a dry, spasmodic cough, with sore throat and thirst, Belladonna, or for a nervous cough, Hyoscyamus 3x; for cough with expectoration and pain in the side or in the head, or between the shoulders when coughing, Bryonia; for cough accompanied by constipation and fulness at the pit of the stomach, or for cough worse after meals, Nux vomica; for hard cough, with oppression or soreness on the chest, Phosphorus; for a loose rattling cough, Ipecacuanha. The dose may be repeated every 2, 3, or 4 hours, as needful. (See also "Whooping Cough.")

Diarrhœa.—For this disorder, when accompanied by great pain in the stomach and bowels, watery stools, and exhaustion, Arsenicum is required; when caused by drinking cold water when heated, Bryonia; for griping pains and indications of dysentery, Mercurius (when there is great straining not relieved by stool, Mercurius corrosivus 3 should be substituted); when caused by indigestion and indulgence in rich food and pastry, Pulsatilla. For diarrhœa in teething children, Chamomilla is a useful remedy. For painless diarrhœa, with much flatulence and