Volume 1

The standard physician : a new and practical encyclopaedia of medicine and hygiene especially prepared for the household / edited by Sir James Crichton-Browne [and others].

Date:
1908-1909
Catalogue details

Licence: In copyright

Credit: The standard physician : a new and practical encyclopaedia of medicine and hygiene especially prepared for the household / edited by Sir James Crichton-Browne [and others]. Source: Wellcome Collection.

    360/430 (page 330)
    Coffee Colds THE STANDARD PHYSICIAN 330 or between the meals of the day. In summer it is at times wise to omit its use entire!}', especially when fresh cream can be obtained ; nor should it be given to children under six months of age, or to individuals with intestinal disease. To children it should be given at first in doses of a teaspoonful, gradually increased to four ; and to adults in doses of a tablespoon ful, likewise increased gradually to four times that amount. Many cod-liver oil emulsions are more ])alatable than the pure oil. Their chief disadvantage is their comparatively high cost. COFFEE.—The seeds of the coffee-tree (Coffea Arahica), two of which are contained in each cherry-like berry of the tree. From its home in Abyssinia and Arabia coffee has been introduced into the temperate and frigid zones, and has there become indispensable. Chemical analysis of the coffee-beans has shown them to contain, in the dry but unroasted state, 10 per cent, of water, 12 })er cent, of nitrogen, 0*93 per cent, of caffeine, 9*5 ])er cent, of tannin, 12 per cent, of fat, and 12 per cent, of sugar. Roasting does not modifv the amount of caffeine, nitrogen, or fat. The amount of sugar, however, is diminished to i per cent., and the amount of tannin increased. Aromatic oils are set free, contributing to the aroma of the coffee. Sugar assists in the formation of the caramel of the roasted bean. The roasting must be done uniformly, should not last too long, and the sub- sec}uent cooling must be a rapid and not a gradual one. Roasted coffee should be kept dry. When preparing the beverage, contact of the ground coffee with metal should be avoided, and only actually boiling water should be used in making the decoction, which should not be allowed to boil a second time. The stimulating effect which coffee exerts on the nervous system is the reason for its widesj)read use and abuse. Coffee may be the enemy as well as the friend of man. As its abuse banishes sleep and causes restless nights, so it may also give rise to severe conditions of irritation of the nervous system, and through it affect the heart. Nor is it of secondary importance from the standpoint of digestion. For it is questionable whether even small (piantities are beneficial to digestion ; and it is certain that the latter is ])artly or entirely interrupted by the indulgence in large quantities of coffee. Patients suffering from gout, in whom the stomach is generally also affected, had better forego the use of coffee. If the sensation of indolence following a plentiful meal appears to be lessened by a cu]) of coffee, this is not due to accelerated digestion, but to the stimulation exerted upon the brain. Many coffee substitutes are expensive, and furnish neither stimulation nor nutrition. The best substitute for coffee for the poor is a plate of hot soup. COLCHICUM.—The root and seeds of Colchtcum aiitumnale, or meadow saffron, a bulbous plant native to Europe. The active principle is an alka- loid called colchicine. Locally, colchicum is an active irritant ; and if taken in an overdose it may cause symptoms of violent inflammation of the