Feet, Fever

Papers on Health
by John Kirk

(Page 7 of 21)

Those who have a stomach which quickly rebels against too much or unsuitable food, may, as Sir Henry Thompson says, congratulate themselves on having a good janitor preventing the entrance of what would injure. The man, who can and does eat anything, rarely lives to old age.

The perfect appetite which comes from the moderate use of simple foods is a relish which must be experienced to be appreciated.

One way in which the amount of food needed to satisfy the appetite and build up the body may be very largely reduced, is by increasing the amount of mastication. If each bite of food is chewed and chewed until it is all reduced to a liquid state, the amount required will be less than half of what is usually taken, and so much less strain will be thrown on the excretory organs.

Feet, Cold - Continued coldness of the feet gives rise to many more serious troubles, and should always be attended to. There is no better cure than daily bathing the feet, followed by rubbing for several minutes, say five, with hot olive oil after drying. Rub briskly, until the feet glow. Put on dry warm stockings, and see that all foot-gear is kept as dry as possible. Another method of curing cold sweaty feet is to rub the soles with cayenne "tea", and afterwards with warm olive oil. Dry carefully, and wear an extra pair of dry cotton socks or stockings. When the sweating is very abundant and obstinate, there is usually more or less failure in the nerves which keep the skin in order. The feet must then be properly bathed (see Bathing the Feet), then dried and treated with cayenne lotion as above.

Feet Giving Way - Where there is a great deal of standing to be done by any one, the feet sometimes yield more or less at the arch of the instep. This becomes flattened, and even great pain ensues; lameness sometimes follows. Young girls who have to stand much are especially liable to suffer in this way. In the first place rest must be had. Wise masters will provide due rest for their employees, foolish ones overwork them. Rest is not against, but in favor of work; work cannot be well done without due rest. The proper rest for feet such as we speak of will be the most easy and comfortable position. Comfort is the test of the right treatment.

Bathe the feet in hot water for a good while, using plenty of soap. Rub gently with hot olive oil, pressing any displaced bones into, or near, their place. Carefully avoid giving pain. Massage similarly with oil the whole limb, and also the back (see Massage). Do this every day at least once. You may have months to wait, but a sound limb is worth a good deal of patience. When standing is absolutely necessary, strips of strong sticking plaster passed down from above the ankle bones, and round under the instep, help greatly.

Boots are better than shoes, and should be comfortably easy, with low heels.

Fever - In all fevers, to cool down the excessive heat of the patient (see Heat, Internal) is the best process of treatment. This may be best done by continued cooling of the head. Have a towel well wrung out of cold water. Fold it so as to envelop the head. Press it gently to the head all round, changing the place of pressure frequently. Have a second towel ready, and continue cooling with freshly cooled towels perhaps for an hour or an hour-and-a-half. Then leave the last cold towel on, and put a dry towel above it. The next cooling, when the fever heat again arises, may be given, if it can be managed, by placing a cold towel along the spine. Cover this with a dry one, and let the patient lie on it. Change this, though not quite so frequently as in the case of the head.

Work carefully and gently, so as not to annoy the patient. If ice can be had, it may be put in the water used to cool the cloths. If the feet be cold, foment them in a blanket (see Fomentation). Keep this on the feet for an hour. There will most likely be great relief with even one course of such treatment. It must, however, be persevered in until the fever be conquered. In any case of fever, when a patient is too weak to bear the hot fomentation and cold towels, we would recommend rubbing the feet and limbs if cold with hot oil, and the stomach and chest, and if possible the back with soap lather. It is well at first to soap the stomach only, and for some time; and each time till the last it is well to wipe off what you have rubbed on, so that the skin may be as clean as possible for the next. To do this only once is often quite sufficient to soothe, so that the patient falls off into a gentle, natural sleep.

Now, no one need imagine that there is any difficulty in the way of anyone carrying out the right treatment. We have known a young sister who saw her brother brought home in fever. The medical man predicted a long and serious illness, and the necessity of being prepared for all the usual features of such a case. The sister heard all in thoughtful silence, but when the doctor went away she said to herself, "May not I lower this flame? At any rate I will try." So through the night she so effectually cooled her brother's head that when the medical man came next day he expressed his most agreeable disappointment, saying, "It is to be a very light case after all." So it turned out to be, but it would not have been so but for that brave sister's aid. We cannot but earnestly beseech all who have the opportunity to go and do likewise. Often, especially among the poor, dirt and hot, close air have made the fever room a source of frightful danger to all around. Absolute cleanliness, abundance of pure air, and disinfection of the stools, should always be attended to.

Fever at Night - Frequently, in illness, a fever sets in as night approaches, and increases toward midnight, passing away during the day. The treatment may be as below for Intermitting Fever.

Fever, Delirium in - See Delirium.

Fever, Gastric - In this fever, now known as a form of Typhoid, the disease spreads a sort of blight over the nervous centers, and from the first greatly lowers their power. The patient is too weak to bear the powerful cooling recommended in Fever; there is also a tendency to prolonged and "low" fever. First of all, in such a case, the feet and legs must be fomented. Watch against burning the patient, but get as good and powerful a heat as possible right up over the knees. Then after about fifteen minutes the cooling of the head may proceed as in fever. Both cooling and heating must proceed together.

Printed by Hurst Bros., Shaw Heath, Stockport. 1904.