Edward John Waring

“ In Cholera much reliance is placed by the natives and Anglo-Indians on Omum water, and {133} although it appears to have no claim to the character of a specific in this disease which popular opinion assigns to it, there can be little doubt that it exercises considerable power, especially in the early stage, of checking the diarrhœa and vomiting, and at the same time of stimulating the system. It is not to be trusted to alone, but forms an admirable adjunct to other remedies. ”

“ One or other of the above species of Calotropis is found everywhere in India, and although some doubt exists as to which of them is the Mudar which some years since attained high repute in the treatment of leprosy, they both possess the same medical properties and may be used indiscriminately. The only part employed in medicine is the root-bark; and it is necessary carefully to attend to the subjoined directions for collecting and preparing it for medical use, a disregard of them having been, in some instances, the apparent cause of the failure of the remedy. ”

“ The Indian Dill Seed possesses no specific characters to distinguish it from the European article, for which it may be substituted. The Distilled Water, when procurable, is the best form, but in its absence an infusion of the bruised seeds, 3 drachms to half a pint of hot water, may be used; of this, when strained and cold, the dose for an infant is a dessert-spoonful or more, sweetened with a little sugar. It proves very effectual in relieving Abdominal Pain, Flatulence, and Colic in Children. Its efficacy is often much increased by the addition of a teaspoonful of lime water. ”

“ That ordinary Sweet Oil is equally efficacious as far as the local effect is concerned, and therefore it is not improbable that the benefit which patients experience from the application of Gurjun oil is due to the friction producing absorption of the deposits which are effused into the skin and cellular tissue during the course of the disease. Dr. Dougall may have failed in finding in Gurjun oil a specific in leprosy, but he has rendered important service in leading us to a knowledge of the vast benefits to be derived from diligent oleaginous frictions in its treatment ”

“ Promote the warmth of the body by the application of hot flannels, bottles or bladders of hot water, heated bricks, &c., to the pit of the stomach, the armpits, between the thighs, and to the soles of the feet. Warm clothing may generally be obtained from bystanders.
On the restoration of life, when the power of swallowing has returned, a teaspoonful of warm water and subsequently small quantities of wine, warm brandy and water, or coffee should be given. The patient should be kept in bed, and a disposition to sleep encouraged. ”

“ The fresh milky juice of the Papaw has been successfully employed in the treatment of Worms, especially the common Round Worm or Lumbricus. The juice should be collected as it flows out from incisions made in the unripe fruit; a table-spoonful suffices for a dose for an adult. It should, whilst quite fresh, be mixed with an equal quantity of honey and two ounces of boiling water, and the whole well stirred. When cool, this should be taken as a draught, and two hours subsequently, one ounce of Castor Oil, with half a table-spoonful of Lime Juice. ”

“ If the liniment is applied late in the vesicular stage, or not until the pustular stage has set in, the carbolised oil penetrates more or less into the epidermis which is being thrown off by the suppuration of the pustule; as the pus is discharged by rupture of the epidermis the oil mixes with the pus, disinfects it, and keeps it sweet, as is to be observed by the entire non-existence of, or extremely modified condition of, the horrid stench that accompanies small-pox, subsequent to the pustular stage of the disease. ”

“ Strip the patient naked and roll him in a wet sheet till he looks like a mummy, and then roll a blanket round this again. In many cases the delirious excitement will subside as soon as a hot vapour surrounds the patient, and he will fall into a quiet sleep. ”

“ The Opium given in an enema of two or three ounces of rice conjee, sometimes succeeds when it fails if given by mouth.
288. In Diabetes, Opium occasionally produces the most beneficial results, especially in old cases occurring {118} in the aged. It requires to be given in full doses and to be persevered in, the effects being carefully watched; the dose diminished, or the remedy left off altogether, if it gives rise to headache or other bad symptoms. It is worthy of remark, however, that persons suffering from this disease will take large doses with impunity. ”

“ It is an excellent purgative when the object is simply to clear out the bowels. It is especially adapted for children and for women after confinements. The ordinary dose for a child is about a teaspoonful but it may be gradually raised according to the age of the patient, to two table-spoonfuls (one ounce) , which is the full dose for an adult. It is best given floating on milk, strong coffee, or Omum water. In Painful Affections of the Rectum Castor Oil in small doses is often of great service, softening the fæces and lubricating the passages without weakening the patient. ”

“ In Flatulent Colic and other Spasmodic affections of the Bowels, a dose of from 3 to 6 drops on sugar or in emulsion often affords great and speedy relief. Thus given it proves effectual in allaying Obstinate Vomiting. Even in that of Cholera it has been found successful when other remedies have failed, and in these cases it proves additionally serviceable by acting as a stimulant to the system generally; it is well worthy of a more extended trial in the treatment of this disease. ”

“ In the cold season, if you see a snake coiled up or in an apparently lifeless state in an open, well-frequented road or pathway, be careful how you approach him. Should you handle or disturb him roughly, he will in all probability rouse up and bite you. ”

“ To Ulcerated Buboes, and Sloughing Ulcers, a solution of Borax (two drachms in a pint of water or Camphor julep) often proves very useful by cleansing the surface and hastening the healing process. It should be applied on rags well over the whole sore, and renewed frequently by night and day. For dressing Delhi Sores, and stimulating them to healthy action, a favourite application is composed of Borax, Sulphur, and Catechu, of each, finely powdered, one drachm, and Ghee one ounce. ”

“ Gurjun Balsam, or Wood Oil, is a transparent liquid of the consistence of olive oil, lighter than water, of a dark-brown sherry colour, with an odour and taste resembling Copaiba, but less powerful. It has been used as a substitute for this latter drug in the treatment of Gonorrhœa, and trials with it in the hands of Europeans have shown that it is a remedy of no mean value in this affection. It is only advisable in the advanced stages, or when the disease has degenerated into Gleet. ”

“ In the Mesenteric Affections of Children the best results often follow its use; the little patient rapidly gains strength and flesh, the tumefied belly becomes reduced, the stools lose their clayey colour and become bilious and healthy. It should not only be given internally, but should be used as a liniment to the abdomen. The Obstinate Constipation of Children sometimes yields to the use of the oil, and its return is prevented while the remedy is continued. ”

“ Some persons are very intolerant to the action of Opium; in these even the smallest dose produces great nervous excitement, violent headache, and vomiting. When this peculiarity is known to exist, the drug should be avoided.
b. Infants and young children bear Opium badly; cases are on record in which three drops of Laudanum have proved fatal to infants. Still, there are diseases of childhood in which it proves valuable, but in these it should not be given except under professional advice or superintendence. ”

“ Even when Ipecacuanha is employed, a preliminary {119} dose of Laudanum (25 to 30 drops) is often of great service in enabling the stomach to bear it and in preventing its emetic operation. For the relief of the local pain, bearing down, and straining in this disease, a small enema (two ounces) of conjee, with 30 to 40 drops of Laudanum in it, affords more relief than anything else. Opium is a valuable adjunct to Catechu and other astringents in the treatment of Diarrhœa. ”

“ During pregnancy a blister to the chest has been known to induce premature labour, retention of urine, &c., and applied to a person suffering from scurvy it is apt to induce troublesome ulceration. To prevent gangrene, which has occasionally resulted from a blister, especially in children, it is advisable not to allow it to remain on more than ten minutes, then to remove it and apply a warm rice poultice. In infants a thin piece of muslin should be placed between the skin and the plaster. ”

“ In Gonorrhœa, to relieve that painful symptom, Chordee, the same prescription is generally very effectual; but it may be necessary to increase the quantity of Opium to one grain, and it is advisable to apply the Camphor Liniment (68) along the under surface of the penis as far back as the anus. To relieve that distressing Irritation of the Generative Organs which some women suffer from so severely, it will be found that five or six grains of Camphor taken in the form of pill twice or three times daily, according to the severity of the symptoms, will sometimes afford great relief. ”

“ In the preparation of a Compound Powder, i.e., a powder containing two or more ingredients, it is of the greatest importance that they should be uniformly and thoroughly incorporated, else it is evident that a small portion of it, such as is usually prescribed as a dose, may contain an excess of one ingredient—it may be an active or dangerous one, and operate powerfully—whilst the next dose may be comparatively inert. ”

“ Preparations of Opium should always be kept under lock and key, or they may disappear at a rate which cannot be accounted for by evaporation or the heat of the climate! Opium in all its forms is a temptation which few natives have moral courage enough to resist. ”

“ When scurvy appears in a jail or other place where numbers of people are congregated together, the daily use of Lime Juice should be strictly enforced amongst the healthy, as it is one of our best preservatives against an attack of the disease. ”

“ As a remedy for Itch, Sulphur Ointment holds a high place. One part of finely powdered or sublimed sulphur to six of kokum butter or any bland oil is sufficiently strong for ordinary cases. After cleansing the parts with soap and hot water, the ointment should be thoroughly well rubbed in for fifteen or twenty minutes, till the pustules are all broken. Its use should be confined to the hands and wrists and other parts affected; no good is obtained from applying it extensively over the whole surface of the body, as is often done. ”

“ Apply a small mustard poultice over the spot. After carefully cleansing with hot water, apply the Leeches. Not only will they bite more readily, but the flow of blood will be far greater than it otherwise would be. 4. Make a small puncture or scratch on the skin, and smear the blood over the surface; this often succeeds when everything else fails. It should also be remembered that the fumes of sulphur, vinegar, or tobacco in a room, will often prevent Leeches from biting at all. ”

“ In "Pecnash," or Maggots in the Nose, common amongst the natives of Bengal and other parts of {153} India, "the best treatment is to inject every opening in the skin of those affected with this disease with pure Oil of Turpentine, which is found to kill the maggots, and then to extract any maggots that are visible by means of a pair of forceps. Chloroform is even more efficacious, but is more expensive." ”

“ Of the several kinds of Opium met with in India the chief are:
1. Patna Garden Opium; and 2. Malwa Opium.—The former, prepared exclusively for medicinal purposes, occurs in square packages of from two to four pounds weight, covered with layers of talc, and further defended by a case of brown wax about half an inch in thickness. It is solid, brittle in the cold season, of a brown colour, and fine smell; it yields a large proportion (7 to 8, or even 10 per cent.) of Morphia. Of Malwa Opium there are many varieties ”

“ From the fruit of Vateria Indica, Linn., common on the western coast of the Peninsula, is obtained a solid fatty oil named Piney Tallow or Vegetable Tallow of Canara, which has obtained considerable repute as a local application in Chronic Rheumatism, and some other painful affections. Like Kokum Butter, it may be used as a substitute for animal fats in the preparation of ointments, &c. It is deserving of more attention than has hitherto been paid to it. ”

“ As a drink in Fever and Inflammations, cold water may be taken without restriction, and it may be rendered more refrigerant and agreeable by the addition of some mucilaginous agents, as rice, &c., and some vegetable acid, as tamarind pulp or lime-juice. For Irritability of Stomach and Vomiting in Fever, water drunk as hot as it can be borne will often prove very effectual; "But," observes Dr. Aitchison, "the remedy should not consist of merely a mouthful or so of hot water ”

“ In Remittent and Jungle Fever, Quinine is a remedy of the highest value, but its exhibition requires more caution and discrimination than in simple intermittents. Dr. Maclean's treatment appears to be worthy of every attention. After premising, in most cases, a cathartic, immediately on the first signs of remission, he administers a full dose of Quinine, 10 grains, often 15, sometimes 20 grains, never exceeding that dose, and not deterred by the presence of headache or a foul tongue, nor because the remission is slight or imperfectly marked ”

“ Under the most favourable circumstances evaporation to a greater or lesser extent will take place in hot climates; hence by long keeping, the tincture acquires increased strength, and in regulating the dose of the more active tinctures, as of Opium or Datura, the fact ought to be borne in mind, or serious consequences may ensue. ”