CROUP.-MEASLES.

little vinegar or ether has been put, may be beneficially inhaled. A teaspoonful of equal portions of linseed oil and flour of sulphur is sometimes found useful. This quantity may be given to a child under four. years of age. Vaccination is now often practised as an effectual remedy for the hooping cough. Change of air is at all times important, and if practicable, the sea-coast should be visited in severe cases. Flannel, next the skin is very beneficial; a light diet should be used; and when the patient is in bed, his head and shoulders must be raised. Parents ought to pay the greatest attention, when the cough comes on, by bending the patient a little forward, which will be of great service, and guard against suffocation. Cold bathing has been attended with the most beneficial results.

CROUP. This is a disease generally confined to children, and which comes on, imperceptibly and suddenly. The first indications of it are a hoarse dry cough and wheezing, which is followed by rattling in the throat. No time should be lost in obtaining medical aid; yet while the physician is coming, something should be attempted. A distinguished physician recommends the giving of emetics of ipecac, and oxymel of squills between; the former as often as every two hours at least; warm bath often repeated; a blister put between the shoulder blades; calomel two grains, doses every two hours. For children above eight years old, the calomel may be increased to six, eight and ten grains, according to the severity of the disease. A strong decoction of seneca (or snake) root, frequently taken into the mouth in small quantities, has been successfully used to promote a separation of the films and co agula that form and adhere to the windpipe and cells of the lungs. The decoction is made by boiling an ounce of seneca root in two pints of water down to a pint, and then straining. In all cases of croup, the child must be kept nearly upright in bed, to guard against suffocation. If the child be threatened with suffocation, sneezing may be excited by introducing strong snuff up the nostrils by means of a camel-hair pencil.

MEASLES. This disease is contagious, and spreads widely by its effluvia. It commences, observes Dr. Clutterbuck, with symptoms of sneezing, red and watery eyes, and a short, dry, hoarse cough; which symptoms continue for some time, after the eruption has disappeared. Frequently the inflammation extends to the substance of the lungs, giving rise to difficulty of breathing, with a pain in the chest, and a foundation is often laid for the pulmonary consumption. As the inflammation of the nose, eyes, and throat declines with the other symptoms, it is of little consequence; and unless the habit or mode of treatment be bad, the disease seldom proves fatal. It differs much in different seasons; and its most frequent consequences are the various forms of scrofula, obstinate sores, and a weak and inflamed state of the eyes: the continuance of inflammation in the chest, in a chronic form, is another source of danger, which ought to be carefully guarded against. On the fourth day small red pimples appear, first on the face, spreading over the whole body; the pimples hardly elevated above the surrounding skin, but by the touch are found to be a little prominent. On the fifth or sixth day, they turn brown, and disappear with the peeling off of the scarf-skin. Mild cases of measles require only careful nursing, and a free expecto

POISONS.

ration, by means of mild purgatives, diluting drinks, and a spare, low diet. Barley water, tamarind tea, and any thing of a simple nature should be taken freely; but fermented liquors, and every kind of animal food, must be avoided. All the drink should be tepid. When the measles suddenly disappear, every exertion must be made, in order to restore the eruption. The patient must be placed in a warm bath, and warm wine and water, with ten drops of antimonial wine, frequently given. It may, also, be necessary to apply blisters to the inside of the thighs or legs, and to the throat. After the patient has recovered, it will be expedient to give two or three doses of cooling, opening medicines, and to cautiously avoid exposure to cold.

SECTION II.

POISONS.-SUSPENDED ANIMATION.

POISONS may be defined substances which prove fatal to the life of animals, whether taken by the mouth, mixed with the blood, or applied to the nerves by friction of the skin, or other means. Most of the substances called poisonous are only so in certain doses; when given in smaller quantities, they are, many of them, active medicines. Others are fatal in the smallest quantities; such are those of hydrophobia and the plague.

As we cannot treat of poisons at large, we think our object will be best accomplished by the following tabular statements; the first column containing the names of the poisons; the second the symptoms, and the last the remedies. But we nevertheless advise, in every case where poisons have been taken, recourse to the best medical assistance at

IRRITATING
VEGETABLE
POISONS:

Remedies.

Large quantities of crumb of bread should be eaten; afterwards an emetic of white vitriol, and demulcent drinks.

A powerful emetic of white vitriol, or emetic tartar; vomiting to be encouraged by warm water, and large clysters of salt water; bleeding; if the head be very hot, cold wet cloths may be applied; if the extremities be cold, friction.

Acrid taste; excessive If vomiting be produced by the heat; violent vomiting; poison, large draughts of warm purging; great pain in water, or thin gruel, to render it Monk's hood, mea- the stomach and bowels. easier. If insensibility be present, dow saffron, ipeca- Externally applied, many white vitriol, or other active emecuanha, hellebore, of them produce inflamma- tic; after the operation of which, a bear's foot, savine, tion, blisters, pustules. brisk purgative; then a strong &c. infusion of coffee or vinegar diluted with water.

ACRID NARCOTICS: Mushrooms.

Nux vomica, St. Ignatius's bean, the upas, coculus indicus, &c.

Four or five grains of emetic tartar in a glass of water. If this dose does not succeed, four grains of blue vitriol as an emetic. Do not give large quantities of water. After the poison has been ejected, give vinegar, lemon juice, or cream of tartar and strong coffee.

Nausea; heat; pain in Three grains of emetic tartar in the stomach and bowels: a glass of water: in fifteen minutes vomiting; purging; thirst; the dose to be repeated. After convulsions; cold sweats; vomiting, frequent doses of Glaudeath. ber's or Epsom salts, and stimulating clysters.

Substances.

POISONOUS
FISH:

Oldwife, lobster,
crab, dolphin, con-
ger eel, muscle, &c.

POISONOUS SERPENTS: The viper, or adder, rattle-snake, &c.

.

SPANISH
FLIES.

VENOMOUS
INSECTS:

In an hour or two, or An emetic; vomiting to be exsooner, after some fish have cited by tickling the throat with been eaten, more especially the finger, and by draughts of if stale, weight at the sto- warm water. After vomiting, an mach, sickness, giddiness, active purgative; afterwards vinethirst, &c. come on: in gar and water, or water sweetened some cases, death. with sugar, and an addition of ether. After the evacuations, laudanum.

The

A sharp pain in the A moderately tight ligature to wounded part, soon extend- be applied above the bite, and the ing over the body; great wound left to bleed, after being swelling; first hard and washed with warm water. pale, then reddish; faintings, vomitings, convulsions; inflammation, often extensive suppuration, gangrene, and death.

actual cautery, lunar caustic, or butter of antimony to be applied; then lint dipped in equal parts of olive oil and spirit of hartshorn. Ligature to be removed if the inflammation be considerable. Warm diluting drinks, with small doses of ammonia or hartshorn, to cause perspiration. The patient should be well covered in bed, drinking occasionally warm wine. If gangrene threaten, wine and bark must be freely given.

Nauseous odor of the Vomiting freely excited by breath; burning heat in sweet oil, sugar and water, or lintthe throat and stomach; seed tea; emollient clysters. Camvomiting, often bloody; phor dissolved in oil may be rubpainful priapism, heat in bed over the belly and thighs. the bladder, convulsions,

delirium, death.

In general only a slight, Hartshorn and oil, salt and wadegree of pain and swell- ter: a few drops of hartshorn may Tarantula, scorpi- ing; sometimes sickness be taken internally in a glass of waon, hornet, wasp, and fever.

bee, gnat, &c.

ter. The sting may, in general, be removed by making a strong pressure over it with the barrel of a small watch key.

In many cases of poisoning, emetics are necessary, in order to remove the poison from the stomach. It has, however, been proved, that a late invention,

The STOMACH PUMP, is much more expeditiously effectual than emetics, and is now very often resorted to by medical practitioners for such purposes; but the use of this instrument can scarcely be confided to inexperienced hands.

POISON from the inhalation of, or being immersed in noxious Gas. Whenever persons are found in a state of apparent death from being