On the sick headache / by James Mease.

  • James Mease
Date:
[1824]
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: On the sick headache / by James Mease. Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material has been provided by the National Library of Medicine (U.S.), through the Medical Heritage Library. The original may be consulted at the National Library of Medicine (U.S.)

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    An unfortunate but very erroneous opinion prevails among those afflicted with sick headache, that there is no cure for it, and hence they submit to exquisite torture with patience and philosophic resignation. But this prejudice is as little founded in reality, as a similar one with respect to the gout- which we now well know yields readily to regimen, regular and proper exercise, and the occasional use of other reme- dies. I will venture to say, that in every instance in which this prejudice occurs it will be found, that those who enter- tain it are attached to indulgencies, and a general system of living, which have produced their disease; and that they prefer continuing such a course of indulgencies during the intervals of suffering, to giving it up, or to submitting to the steady discipline requisite to a cure. The disease most commonly forms in the course of the night, and on awaking, a pain is felt in some part of the head, but generally over one or both eyes. More or less languor attends it, with a diminished or total disrelish for food, and great sensibility to light. After continuing for one or two days, and even longer, if no remedy be taken, a nau- sea sometimes succeeds, which finally ends in vomiting; or this may easily be excited by a draught or two of warm wa- ter: in either case, relief is soon obtained from the more acute symptom, and sleep follows: though a distressing soreness and confusion of the head succeeds, which gradu- ally goes off, and health is restored. In some cases the pain in the head is preceded by a dulness and heaviness of the eyes, and confusion of the brain, which finally terminate in the fixed pain. Cold feet sometimes precede an attack and constitute the first symptom of its approach. The means of cure are naturally divided into medicines, and diet, including regjmen. I shall treat of them in that, order. Medicines. In the commencement of a regular plan for the restoration of the tone of the nerves of the stomach, a laxative ought to be the first remedy. Of the numerous class of that descrip-
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