Ant.Tart.- Where there are decided bronchial symptoms, or nausea with white-furred tongue.
Belladonna.- Sore throat, dry, barking cough, etc.; headache, drowsiness, or restlessness, and tendency to delirium.
Bryonia.- Imperfect or suppressed eruption, stitching pains in chest, difficult breathing, cough, etc. For a sudden recession of the eruption, this remedy, or Aconite may be given every half hour.
Euphrasia.- May be called for when the discharge of tears is profuse.
Gelsemium.- Slow development or retrocession of the rash.
Mercurius Sol. 3x and Cor. 3x.- Ulcerous, glandular, or dysenteric affections.
Phosphorus.- Dry, hollow cough, with tendency to Pneumonia.
Pulsatilla.- Almost specific, especially for the symptoms of cold, gastric derangement, phlegm in the chest, etc. It is most useful after the fever has been modified by Aconite, and rarely any other remedies are required.
Sulphur.- After the eruption has completed its natural course, and the other remedies are discontinued. It may avert secondary diseases. A dose morning and night, for several days.
SECONDARY DISEASES.-
Measles is often succeeded by diseases of the lungs, eyes, ears, bones, or some affection of the skin. These are often far more serious than the malady itself, and generally require professional treatment. They may often be prevented by the administration of Sulphur, or other remedy indicated. Sequelae are infrequent after homoeopathic treatment. If, however, after the decline of the eruption, the patient retains a temperature above 100oF., some complicating disturbance may be suspected.
REMEDIES FOR THE SEQUELAE.
Inflammatory Affections of the Eyelids.- Aconite, Belladonna, Mercurius- Cor.- Sulph.
Purulent Discharge from Ear, or Deafness.- Hepar-Sulph., Mercurius, Pulsatilla, Silicea, Sulphur
Glandular Swellings.- Calcarea-Card., Iodium, Lye., Mercurius
Chest Complication.- Arsenicum, Hepar-Sulph., Kali bichromicum, Spongia
Cutaneous Eruptions.- Iodium, Arsenicum, Sulphur
Styes.- Belladonna, Calcarea carb., Pulsatilla- Sulph.
Consumption – Wasting, Cough, Hoarseness, etc.- Arsenicum, Drosera, Hepar-S, Phosphorus, Spongia, and Cod-liver oil.
MEASLES and CONSUMPTION.-
Tubercular diseases of the lungs, or more often of the bowels, or of the bronchial glands, or miliary tuberculosis (in which very minute tubercles are seeded over, it may be several organs) are by no means infrequent sequels in delicate children. When, therefore, a child makes but slow or imperfect recovery from Measles and the temperature remains up, a grave constitutional disease may be suspected, and no time should be lost in obtaining professional advice.
ACCESSORIES.- When Measles occur before weaning, the infant may refuse to suck, in consequence of the closure of the nasal passages; resort must then be had to artificial feeding with spoon. Cold water, gum-water, barley-water, etc., and the best drinks. No stimulants. As the fever abates, milk diet may be given, gradually returning to more nourishing food. Should the eruption be imperfectly developed, or recede suddenly, the child should be put into a hot bath, or be packed in a blanket wrung out or hot water. During the whole of the illness the wet-pack and tepid sponging, with careful drying, should be employed once or twice a day, and the linen should be frequently changed. We have emphasized “frequent change linen,” as there exists a widespread prejudice among mothers and nurses against clean clothes in this disease. The patient should be kept warm in bed, with the room equably warmed to about 65o, but light and well ventilated, a shawl or curtain being so suspended as to protect the eyes. A fire, except in the very height of summer. After the disease has subsided the patient should be warmly clad (in flannel), and taken into the open air frequently when the weather is fine. But he must not go out of doors too soon, or be at all exposed to cold, draughts, or wet.
PREVENTIVES.- Pulsatilla every morning and Aconite every evening for a week or ten days, during the prevalence of Measles.
INDICATIONS FOR THE ABOVE AND OTHER REMEDIES.
Aconitum.- Hot, skin, thirst, headache, restlessness, and other febrile symptoms.
Ailanthus Gland.- Malignant Scarlatina, with purple or nearly suppressed rash, foetid discharge from the nostrils, cracking at the angles of the mouth, etc. It should be given directly unfavourable symptoms are observed, and frequently repeated until improvement ensues. This is indicated by increase of the eruption, by its assuming a scarlet colour, and by diminished circulatory and nervous disturbances.
Ammonium-Carb.- Very decided physical and mental prostration.
Apis.- Urgent throat symptoms, and when there is more oedema than ulceration.
Arsenicum.- Severe prostration, excessive thirst, cold clammy sweats, frequent weak pulse, threatened diarrhoea.
Belladonna.- Is specific in, and exerts a direct power over, Scarlet fever it its simple form. When the eruption is of a scarlet colour the disease will frequently yield to the action of this remedy without the aid of any other.
Gelsemium.- Imperfect eruption, nervous restlessness, remittent symptoms.
Mercurius Sol.6.- Inflamed, swollen, or ulcerated throat; different swallowing; copious saliva, ulcers in the mouth; acrid discharge from the nostrils.
Muriatic Acid.- Malignant sore throat, with extreme depression, tremors, etc.
Sulphur.- When the disease is on the decline, to prevent secondary complaints; a dose morning and night for several days.
Veratrum Viride.- Severe cerebral disturbance, vomiting, and very rapid pulse.
ADDITIONAL REMEDIES.- Ant.Tart. (in the first stage, if attended with convulsions, cold sweat, difficult breathing or vomiting); Coffea or Hyoscyamus (restlessness and sleeplessness); Cuprum-Acet. (sudden retrocession of the rash); Digit. (little urine, dropsy); Arum triph. (ulceration of throat, raw condition of nostrils, lips, and mouth); Crot. or Echinacea (S. anginosa or S. maligna); Hepar Sulph. (to prevent after-effects of Scarlet fever).
SECONDARY DISEASES (Sequelae).- The following are the chief :- 1. Inflammatory swelling of the glands of the neck, which in scrofulous children may attain a large size, suppurate, and the pus burrow under the muscles of the neck. Mercurius, Hepar S., and Calcarea, are the chief remedies. 2. The inflammation of the throat may be extended along the Eustachian tubes, producing deafness by their obstruction, or by suppuration of the tympanum, or some other mischief of the ear. The remedies recommended are Belladonna, Mercurius, Aurum, or Pulsatilla3. But the most frequent and dangerous sequel is Anasarca, the treatment of which will be found in Section 16.
Complete suppressions of urine without dropsy is far from uncommon.. It may last for several days, and terminate either in the gradual resumption of the functions of the kidneys, or in blood-poisoning, sudden Convulsions, and death.
ACCESSORIES.- The patient should be placed in a separate room which can be so ventilated as to secure a copious and continual supply of fresh air; for the one means above all others which mitigates the virulence and infectiveness of Scarlet fever is ventilation. The room should be as free from furniture as possible. Curtains, carpets, and woollen stuffs should be removed.
A fire is necessary in cold weather. Condy’s fluid or carbolic acid should be freely used about the room; and a sheet across the open door, kept moist with the disinfectant, will purify the air for the patient, and lessen the infection through the house. Sponging the surface of the body with tepid water, piece by piece, moderates the great heat and always restlessness, quiets delirium, lowers the pulse, and favours sleep. A wet bandage to the throat, when it is affected, is a sovereign remedy, and seldom fails to relieve.
It should be fastened both at the back of the neck and at the top of the head, so as to protect the glands near the angles of the jaws. Inhalation of steam from hot water is useful when the throat is sore and painful. The wet-pack, especially at the commencement, is often most valuable, and if may be repeated several times, at few hours’ interval, as long as severe febrile symptoms continue; but it requires to be administered by an experienced person.
When the eruption is slow in coming out, or is suddenly suppressed, the child should have a hot bath (see Section 7) or be packed in a blanket wrung out of hot water. During convalescence, warm clothing, including, flannel is necessary; and subsequent a change of air, if possible to the seaside. The patient must not, however, go out too early, as secondary symptoms are of frequent occurrence from neglect of this precaution.
In all cases of S. Anginosa, or indeed in all but the mildest cases of Scarlatina, a toilet of the throat should be instituted. The simplest is swabbing the throat with carbolic oil (1 to 10). The best method is that of Caiger (Practitioners’ Encyclopaedia of Medicine and Surgery, p.72), “A four-ounce rubber ball syringe, the nozzle of which should be short to avoid risk of damaging the palate…is introduced between the bicuspid or molar teeth, passed over the surface of the tongue, and then directed backwards, so that the stream of fluid impinges on the tonsils and back of the pharynx, the patient’s head being meanwhile bent over a basin to catch the escaping lotion…three drachms of powdered chlorate of potash and a quart of water gradually added, the vessel being frequently….shaken up…This solution should be diluted a pint of fluid used on each occasion.”
LICENTIATE OF THE ROYAL COLLEGE OF PHYSICIANS; MEMBER OF THE ROYAL COLLEGE OF SURGEONS; LICENTIATE IN MIDWIFERY, LONDON AND EDINBURGH, ETC. PHYSICIAN TO THE READING AND BERKSHIRE HOMOEOPATHIC DISPENSARY.
Author of "The Stepping Stone to Homeopathy and Health,"
"Manual of Homoeopathic Treatment". Editor of "The Homoeopathic World."