The doctor at home and nurse's guidebook / edited by George Black.

Date:
1909
Catalogue details

Licence: In copyright

Credit: The doctor at home and nurse's guidebook / edited by George Black. Source: Wellcome Collection.

    64/684 (page 40)
    difficulty, or in profusion ; (3) from personal aversion, or want of appetency. The first kind may be either atonic or organic—that is, proceeding from direct imbecility or want of tone, or produced by some structural hindrance or defect, whether natural or accidental. BARRENNESS, TREATMENT OF (1) When the barrenness pro- ceeds from imbecility or want of tone, the proper remedies are, local and general tonics, and stimulants, especially cold bathing, prepara- tions of iron with bitters, elec- tricity, combined with change of air and scene. Abstinence, for a time, is likewise very advisable. If this description be produced by some hindrance or defect in the structure of the parts concerned, the most efficacious course consists of alteratives, and an occasional tepid bath at about 95 °F., the bowels being kept regular with a mild aperient pill. (2) When the barrenness arises from irregular menstruation, the cure must depend upon a removal of the particular kind of morbid affection that operates at the time, and lays a foundation for the condition. (3) Female sterility from per- sonal aversion is a complaint irre- mediable by the healing art, and can only be attacked by a kind, assiduous, and very affectionate attention, which will rarely fail of its object. When married couples, possessing a full habit of body, or great con- stitutional vigour, are destitute of children, the ordinary effects of a spare diet, united with daily active exercise, are worthy of their atten- tion. In such cases, a well-known physician was in the habit of putting both the man and woman on a diet of milk and vegetables, and asserted that he had known this succeed in several instances. The effects of a spare and rather low diet upon the procreative powers are certainly remarkable and within the sphere of every man’s observa- tion ; for the married poor almost everywhere abound with children, while the rich are often childless, or at any rate large families among them are comparatively rare. BARYTES A substance called barytes, or baryta, has been much used to poison rats. It is a white ponder- ous earth, usually sold in powder. It is very poisonous, and being fre- quently called for may become the source of poisoning by accident or otherwise. The symptoms pro- duced by taking barytes are—a sense of burning in the stomach, vomiting, griping, purging, para- lysis, convulsions, and death. BARYTES, ANTIDOTE TO The antidote in cases of poisoning by barytes is either Epsom or Glauber’s salt, of which somewhat more than the quantity of barytes taken will by chemical decompo- sition and re-combination produce an insoluble and inert salt, which will pass off by the bowels. Should the poison, however, have been taken long enough to produce pain and sickness, besides giving a full dose of salts dissolved in water, mild mucilaginousMrinks, as milk, barley-water, etc., should bo- ordered ; and the stomach pump should be employed without delay. In addition to this, leeches should also be applied to the stomach, and every other means for subduing inflammation be used.