The student's guide to diseases of children.
- Sir James Goodhart, 1st Baronet
- Date:
- 1886
Licence: Public Domain Mark
Credit: The student's guide to diseases of children. Source: Wellcome Collection.
Provider: This material has been provided by Royal College of Physicians, London. The original may be consulted at Royal College of Physicians, London.
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![disorders of the digestive system, a rational mode of treatment recommends itself spontaneously. The details as applied to any particular case may require some skill in their adaptation, and may even fail; but tlie principles upon winch they must he leased admit of tlie clearest insight. For example, when dependent upon the want of ti’aining, flatulence and colic are b(vst ti'eated by carni/inaf ivei^; in such case, stomachic stimulants, or ciiarmers away of tlatulemie, jiossess a perfectly rational basis of action which their title does not suggest. A stimulavf, a23plied to the .stomach wlien it is already struggling with a meal which it knows not how to dispose of, is not unlikely to make matters worse; unless it should provoke vomiting, which is by no means a desirable issue in such cases, 'riie drugs which are successful in so many cases as to w'arrant the name carminatives are all imj)regnated with some volatile oil of .strong flavour, and inqmrt a sense of warmth to the nei’ve filaments to which they are applied. Afferent nerves, when em- ployed in conducting any powerful imju'es.sion, are for the most part so fully occupied as to be incapable of attending to other weaker exciters, and the .sti-onger stimulant will at any time difsplace the weaker. In flatulent colic some dill, fennel, or cinn.amon water is given; the .attention of the nerve filaments is .at- tracted by its diffusibility .and pungency, and diverted from the food. Time is thus allowed for the gastric juice to act and for digestion to proceed. In due coiu'se the irritating matters are broken up and dis- ])o.sed of; .and the pain cea.ses till the next meal. Any of the .aromatic waters m.ay be given, though perhaps the a<jua anethi is in most request. A tablespoonful or more is to be put into each bottle of food, or a similar quantity—sweetened with a little powdered white sug.ar—may be given afterwards. The Flatulence of Emptiness.—If the flatulence be due to the poorness or insufficiency of the milk— which must be .ascertained by .an examination of the](https://iiif.wellcomecollection.org/image/b24990462_0060.jp2/full/800%2C/0/default.jpg)
