Part 6

Anti-Spasmodic Injections.

FORM I.

Take of castor (not the oil) one drachm, and beat it well with the yolk of an egg; then add a half pint of water. This is frequently given with the best results to women suffering from spasms of the womb, accompanied with hysterics.

FORM II.

Take of assafœtida two drachms, to which add from one half to three-quarters of a pint of thin water gruel, and mix well together. This is considered very useful in hysteria, colic, convulsions of children, &c., and for relief of severe pain in the bowels.

Injections for Worms.

FORM I.

Take of powdered aloes from ten to fifteen grains, and of starch mucilage one gill. Steep well together, and strain. The same quantity of warm sweet oil or even lamp oil is very useful in these cases, and is known to be a powerful exterminator of pin worms. It may be injected twice a day, if deemed necessary. For this purpose alone, the Improved Injecting Apparatus becomes, in the hands of parents, a valuable means of removing one of the most frightful sources of disease in children.

FORM II.

Take of sifted wood soot six drachms; to which add half a pint of water. Boil and strain. This injection is useful in destroying thread worms in children. It should be given half an hour before the child goes to bed, and should be administered several days in succession.

FORM III.

Take of chamomile flowers half an ounce, of aloes one drachm, of common salt one ounce, and boiling water one pint. Steep the chamomile and aloes for ten minutes; then strain, and add the salt.

Aromatic Injection.

Steeped anise seed or carraway, so commonly given by the mouth to infants, in flatulency, may be used in the form of injections for the same purpose, by making an infusion of the seeds. Take, of the seeds of either one half an ounce, and of boiling water a pint. Steep for fifteen minutes and strain. This may be often repeated, if required.

Yeast Injection.

Take of barley gruel one gill, to which add one gill of yeast. This injection is found extremely efficient in typhoid fever, and useful in preventing the offensive odor of stools in various complaints.

Tobacco Injection.

Take of tobacco leaves from fifteen to twenty grains; to which add one pint of boiling water. Steep for an hour and strain. This injection is recommended in cases of strangulated hernia by many distinguished French and English physicians; and also for obstinate constipation, retention of urine, flooding after child-birth, &c. This injection should be used with the utmost caution, and never without the sanction, or, perhaps, even under the eye of a physician. Lobelia, which is sometimes substituted for tobacco, is liable to the same or more stringent objections, and should be used with the same care.

Quinine Injections.

FORM I.

Take of flaxseed tea one gill, to which add from twelve to fifteen grains of quinine. Injected warm, this enema is found to have a powerful and immediate effect in intermittent fevers. It may be repeated every four or six hours, as the case may require.

FORM II.

Take of quinine five or six grains, and of sulphuric acid eight drops; to which add half a pint of water. This enema is sometimes used for expulsion of worms from the rectum, and is considered very effective by physicians generally.

Camphor Injection.

Take of powdered camphor five grains, and one gill of gum arabic mucilage, or flaxseed tea. Mix well and administer warm. This is highly esteemed in cases of dysentery.

Ox Gall Injection.

Take of ox gall flesh one ounce, to which add one pint of warm water. This has been strongly recommended by Doctors Clay and Alnatt, of England, for cases of obstinate constipation and hardened fæces. Cases are on record in England where numerous other injections had been used, all of which failed; upon which an injection of ox-gall was administered, and success was the instantaneous result.

Nutritious Injections.