For all bruises, black eyes, etc., apply Arnica lotion; for slight wounds, after washing well with cold water, apply Arnica plaster; to stop bleeding when ordinary means fail, and for larger wounds, apply concentrated tincture of Calendula.

935. Cold in the Head or Catarrh.

_Symptoms_. Feverish feeling generally, and especially about the head, eyes, and nose, running from, and obstruction of, nose; soreness and irritation of the throat and bronchial tubes.

_Medicines_. Aconitum napellus for feverish symptoms; Belladonna for sore throat and headache with inclination to cough; Mercurius for running from nose and sneezing; Nux vomica for stoppage of nostrils; Chamomilla for children and women, for whom Pulsatilla is also useful in such cases.

936. Chilblains.

_Symptoms_. Irritation and itching of the skin, which a.s.sumes a bluish red colour.

_Medicines_. Arnica montana, taken internally or used as outward application, unless the chilblain be broken, when a.r.s.enic.u.m should be used. If the swelling and irritation do not yield to these remedies use Belladona and Rhus toxicodendron.

937. Cholera.

i. Bilious or English cholera.

_Symptoms_. Nausea, proceeding to vomiting, griping of the bowels, watery and offensive evacuations, in which much bile is present, accompanied with weakness and depression.

_Medicines_. Bryonia, with ipecacuanha at commencement of attack.

ii. Malignant or Asiatic cholera.

_Symptoms_ as in English cholera, but in a more aggravated form, followed by what is called the "cold stage," marked by great severity of griping pain in the stomach, accompanied with frequent and copious watery evacuations, and presently with cramps in all parts of the body; after which the extremities become chilled, the pulse scarcely discernible, the result of which is stupor and ultimately death.

_Medicines_. Camphor, in the form of tincture, in frequent doses, until the sufferer begins to feel warmth returning to the body, and perspiration ensues. In the later stages, Cuprum and Veratrum.

938. Tincture of Camphor

Tincture of camphor is one of the most useful of the h.o.m.oeopathic remedies in all cases of colic, diarrhoea, etc. In ordinary cases fifteen drops on sugar may be taken every quarter of an hour until the pain is allayed. In more aggravated cases, and in cases of cholera, a few drops may be taken at intervals of from two to five minutes. A dose of fifteen drops of camphor on sugar tends to counteract a chill if taken soon after premonitory symptoms show themselves, and act as a prophylactic against cold.

939. Colic or Stomach-Ache.

This disorder is indicated by griping pains in the bowels, which sometimes extends upwards into and over the region of the chest.

Sometimes the pain is attended with vomiting and cold perspiration. A warm bath is useful, and hot flannels, or a jar or bottle filled with hot water should be applied to the abdomen.

_Medicines_. Aconitum napellus, especially when the abdomen is tender to the touch, and the patient is feverish; Belladonna for severe griping and spasmodic pains; Bryonia for bilious colic and diarrhoea; Chamomilla for children.

940. Constipation.

Women are more subject than men to this confined state of the bowels, which will, in many cases yield to exercise, plain nutritious diet, with vegetables and cooked fruit, and but little bread, and an enema of milk and water, or thin gruel if it is some time since there has been any action of the bowels.

_Medicines_. Bryonia, especially for rheumatic patients, and disturbed state of the stomach; Nux vomica, for persons of sedentary habits, especially males; Pulsatilla, for women; Sulphur, for constipation that is habitual or of long continuance.

941. Convulsions.

For convulsions arising from whatever cause, a warm bath is desirable, and a milk and water enema, if the child's bowels are confined.

_Medicines_. Belladonna and Chamomilla, if the convulsions are caused by teething, with Aconitum napellus if the little patient be feverish; Aconitum napellus, Cina, and Belladonna, for convulsions caused by worms; Aconite and Coffoea, when they arise from fright; Ipecacuanha and Nux vomica, when they have been caused by repletion, or food that is difficult of digestion.

942. Cough.

For this disorder, a light farinaceous diet is desirable, with plenty of out-door exercise and constant use of the sponging-bath.

_Medicines_. Aconitum napellus, for a hard, dry, hacking cough; Antimonium, for cough with wheezing and difficulty of expectoration; Belladonna, for spasmodic cough, with tickling in the throat, or sore throat; Bryonia, for hard, dry cough, with expectorations streaked with blood; ipecacuanha, for children.

943. Croup.

As this disorder frequently and quickly terminates fatally, recourse should be had to a duly qualified pract.i.tioner as soon as possible.

The disease lies chiefly in the larynx and bronchial tubes, and is easily recognisable by the sharp, barking sound of the cough. A warm bath and mustard poultice will often tend to give relief.

_Medicines_. Aconitum napellus, in the earlier stages of the disorder, and spongia and Hepar sulphuris, in the more advanced stages, the latter medicine being desirable when the cough is not so violent and the breathing easier.

944. Diarrhoea.

The _medicines_ to be used in this disorder are those which are mentioned under colic and bilious attacks.

945. Dysentery

Dysentery is somewhat similar to diarrhoea, but the symptoms are more aggravated in character, and the evacuations are chiefly mucus streaked with blood. As a local remedy hot flannels or a stone jar filled with hot water and wrapped in flannel, should be applied to the abdomen.

_Medicines_. Colocynthis and Mercurius in alternation.

946. Dyspepsia

Dyspepsia or Indigestion arises from weakness of the digestive organs.

Symptoms. Chief among these are habitual costiveness, heartburn and nausea, disinclination to eat, listlessness and weakness, accompanied with fatigue after walking, &c., restlessness and disturbed sleep at night, bad taste in the mouth, with white tongue, especially in the morning, accompanied at times with fulness in the region of the stomach, and flatulence which causes disturbance of the heart.

The causes of indigestion are too numerous to be mentioned here, but they may be inferred when it is said that scrupulous attention must be paid to diet (see _par_. 961); that meals should be taken at regular and not too long intervals; that warm drinks, stimulants, and tobacco should be avoided; that early and regular hours should be kept, with a cold or chilled sponge bath every morning; and that measures should be taken to obtain a fair amount of exercise, and to provide suitable occupation for both body and mind during the day.

_Medicines_. Arnica montana for persons who are nervous and irritable, and suffer much from headache; Bryonia for persons who are bilious and subject to rheumatism, and those who are listless, disinclined to eat, and have an unpleasant bitter taste in the mouth; Hepar sulphuris for chronic indigestion and costiveness, attended with tendency to vomit in the morning; Mercurius in cases of flatulence, combined with costiveness; Nux vomica for indigestion that makes itself felt from 2 a.m. to 4 a.m., or thereabouts, with loss of appet.i.te and nausea in the morning, and for persons with a tendency to piles, and those who are engaged in sedentary occupations; Pulsatilla for women generally, and Chamomilla for children.

947. Fevers.