The practical guide to health : a popular treatise on anatomy, physiology, and hygiene, with a scientific description of diseases, their causes and treatment; designed for nurses and for home use / by Frederick M. Rossiter.

  • Rossiter, Frederick M. (Frederick Magee), 1870-
Date:
[1913], ©1913
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: The practical guide to health : a popular treatise on anatomy, physiology, and hygiene, with a scientific description of diseases, their causes and treatment; designed for nurses and for home use / by Frederick M. Rossiter. Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material has been provided by the Harvey Cushing/John Hay Whitney Medical Library at Yale University, through the Medical Heritage Library. The original may be consulted at the Harvey Cushing/John Hay Whitney Medical Library at Yale University.

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    Auto-intoxication continuing through a period of years may produce profound organic changes in the body, such as Bright's disease, hardening of the liver, hardening of the blood-vessels, insanity, and serious organic changes in the brain and spinal cord. The best way to avoid auto-intoxication is to exercise care about overeating, to masticate food thoroughly, to avoid bad food combinations (see Chapter XVI, Food Combinations), and to drink an abundance of water and take plenty of phys- ical exercise. The laboring man is not so likely to have auto- intoxication as is his more leisurely neighbor, even though he overeats, and makes all sorts of bad food combinations, be- cause his hard work stimulates the liver to destroy poisons better, and the kidneys to do better work. The urine is less poisonous during a period of exercise than during rest. Treatment.— If one is subject to auto-intoxication, he should avoid eating for two or three days, and adopt an ex- clusive diet of fresh fruits and fruit juices. A tablespoonful of castor-oil may be taken for three mornings in succession, and a thorough, high enema each day for three days. Drink two or three quarts of water each day. If leading a sedentary life, engage in some form of active outdoor work or exercise. PTOMAINE POISONING Chronic ptomaine poisoning is fully covered by what is said under Auto-intoxication. Ptomaines are the waste products of germs. Acute ptomaine poisoning is not only common, but dangerous. It is the cause of many deaths. Causes.— Eating decomposed or tainted meat, such as sausage, chicken, and also canned meats of all kinds; lobsters, shell-fish, cheese, ice-cream, and peas and beans put up in tin cans. Symptoms.— Intense pain in the stomach, and bowels, headache, backache, shooting pains, soreness, intense vomit-