Diseases > Domestic medicine

346 bucban’s
When the lientery or coeliac passion succeeds to a
dysentery, the case is bad. They are always dan¬
gerous in old age, especially when the constitution
has been broken by excess or acute diseases. If the
stools be very frequent, and quite crude, the thirst
great, with little urine, the mouth ulcerated, and the
face marked with spots of different colours, the
danger is very great.
The treatment of the patient is in general the same
as in the dysentery. In all obstinate fluxes of the
belly, the cure must be attempted, by first cleans
kig the stomach and bowels with gentle vomits
and purges; afterwards such a diet as has a
tendency to heal and strengthen the bowels,
with opiates and astringent medicines will generally
perfect the cure.
The same observation holds with respect to a
TENESMUS, or frequent desire of going to stool.
This disease resembles the dysentery so much, both
in its symptoms and method of cure, that we think it
needless to insist upon it.
CHAP. XXXIV.
HEAD-ACH. (Cephalgia.)
Achs and pains proceed from very different causes,
and may affect any part of the body ; but we shall
point out those only which occur most frequently,
and are attended with the greatest danger.
When the head-ach is slight, and affects a parti¬
cular part of the head only, it is called cephalgia ;
when the whole head is affected, cephaUea ; and when
on one side only, hemicrania. A fixed pain in the
forehead, which may be covered with the end of the
thumb, is called the clavis hystericus.