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144. Between
three and four of a cold winter's night, the CHILBLAINS began their torture,
and the poor little things to cry with pain. The circulation is in fault,
and the vital energy must be increased in order to cope with the depressing
influence of the cold. The child should take strengthening medicine, as
quinine or steel (under advice, of course), or stout or port wine at
eleven o'clock in the day, and the feet must be kept unchilled by plenty of
exercise. If chilled after a walk, getting wet unavoidably, or after a long
journey, the little feet must be judiciously unchilled by placing them in
lukewarm water and bay salt, and gradually adding warmer water until quite hot,
over blood heat ; let the feet remain in this until the water cools perceptibly
(it is easy to amuse the child with pretty stories), then carefully dry and wipe
with a soft towel, and then gently rub the feet with the hands until they are
"bone dry ;" this must be done the very day the chill appears, or it will be
more difficult to cure, and must be repeated every other night if the chills
do not disappear.
145. For
the chilblains, when they have been allowed to get to the irritating stage,
there are several remedies -- one to be had of Keating, chemist, St. Paul's
Churchyard, called Eidolon, and the other, which instantly stops the itching,
is as follows:-- for unbroken chilblains only: ¼ oz.
hydrochloric acid, diluted, six oz. camphor water, 30 drops hydrochloric acid,
diluted. This recipe contains a deadly poison, and must never be used except by
experienced and responsible hands -- indeed, none but a mother should apply it.
Any one may use the Eidolon, which is equally effective. These remedies are for
unbroken chilblains only. When chilblains do manifest themselves,
the best remedy, not only for preventing them ulcerating, but overcoming the
tingling, itching pain, and stimulating the circulation of the part to healthy
action, is the liniment of belladonna (two drachms), the liniment of aconite
(one drachm), carbolic acid (ten drops), to collodion flexile (one ounce),
painted with a camels-hair pencil over the surface. But for broken chilblains,
alas ! what can we do? The only course is perfect rest, perfect warmth, and the
application of a new skin. New skin can be formed of the inner skin of an
unboiled egg, or of gold-beater's skin. When friction is to be avoided, these
thin skins should be covered by court plaster cut longer than the wound, which
should be entirely covered with the thin skin. Children should wear lamb's-wool
stockings and thick boots (or cork soles), laced up the centre, or buttoned ;
elastic sides should never be worn by anyone suffering from chilblains. When
the chilblains vescicate, ulcerate, or slough, it is better to omit the aconite,
and apply the other components of the liniment without it. The collodion flexile
forms a coating or protecting film, which excludes the air, whilst the sedative
liniments allay the irritation, generally of no trivial nature. For chapped
hands we advise the free use of glycerine and good olive-oil in the proportion
of two parts of the former to four of the latter ; after this has been well
rubbed into the hands, and allowed to remain for a little time, and the hands
subsequently washed with Castile soap and tepid water, we recommend the
belladonna and collodion flexile to be painted, and the protective film allowed
to permanently remain. Obstinate cases are occasionally met with which no local
application will remedy, until some disordered state of the system is removed,
or the general condition of the health improved.
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