Dry, cold poultices are indicated in various febrile diseases, especially when accompanied with severe local pain. They may be applied in the shape of ice-bags, bottles filled with ice-water, or ice-cushions. See ICE. Special appa ratus, consisting of hose made from rubber or flexible metal, through which cold water is kept running on the syphon principle, may he used on various parts of the body (see Fig. 338).
Moist, cold poultices are made with cloths Nv hich have been kept on ice-water for some time, and which must be wrung out well before being applied. They must he renewed as soon as they become warm--that is, every three to five minutes.
Cold poultices (dry as well as moist) are beneficial for wounds and inflammatory diseases, particularly for rush of blood to the head, inflamma tion of the meninges, and apoplexy.
To use poultices made from earth or mud, in the belief that the " earth strength '' in them is beneficial, is ridiculous, because no such thing as " earth strength " is known to science, Moreover, such poultices may be dangerous, causing infection of small wounds that may exist in the skin. The earth contains many harmful bacteria--for instance, that of lockjaw (tetanus). The belief that all diseases may be cured with earth-poultices or with earth-baths can be ascribed only to ignorance.
Priesznitz's poultice consists of a linen cloth which is soaked in cold water and wrung out, whereupon it is folded smoothly and applied to the affected part. This wet cloth is covered with rubber or with oiled silk, over which is placed a broad, dry, woollen cloth. The poultice becomes warm gradually, and is left on for an hour or more. These poultices are very beneficial in painful, inflammatory diseases. They are used around the neck in tonsilitis and diphtheria, over the chest and back in pleurisy and in inflammation of the lungs (see Fig. 3391, over the stomach in colic and in peritonitis (see Fig. 340), over the abdomen in the presence of pains during menstruation, over the sacrum in lumbago and for neuralgic pains. If allowed to remain on too long, these poultices may cause the skin to become red and irritated.
PREGNANCY.—The state of being with child. Pregnancy begins with the impregnation of the female germ-cell, or ovum, by the male element, or spermatozoon, and ends with the expulsion of the fetus. During its develop
ment in the mother's body the foetus is nourished by a temporary organ, the placenta, which is connected with the maternal bloocl-vessels by the navel-string, or umbilical cord. The time required for mature development averages between 275 and 280 days. During this time not only the pelvic organs but the entire body of the mother undergo essential changes, the noticeable signs of which are called " symptoms of pregnancy." Proof of pregnancy can be obtained by the physician only after an internal examination.
An absolutely certain diagnosis is generally impossible before the fourth month.
Among the early symptoms of pregnancy, the most noteworthy is the cessation of menstruation. This may, however, continue for several months in spite of pregnancy having taken place. Other early signs are nausea and vomiting, particularly in the morning. In nervous women this condition may become almost unbearable. Indigestion is also frequently an early sign of pregnancy, and the patients are mostly constipated. The pregnant woman changes in her appearance. 11cr features, owing to a diminished blood supply to the upper parts of the body, are apt to become pointed ; and sudden attacks of dizziness may be ascribed to similar causes. On the other hand, the region of the abdomen and pelvis, the lower limbs, and the mammary glands swell. The glands become heavy, painful, and tense ; and after several weeks a drop of milky fluid may he pressed out. The so-called " milk-veins " likewise become prominent, and the nipples grow darker. The abdomen becomes rounded, and, as pregnancy advances, the skin of this region becomes more and more tense. Owing to congestion, the veins which carry blood from the pelvic organs to the heart become swollen in different localities. This is particularly noticeable in the blood-vessels of the external genitals, of the rectum (hemorrhoids). and of the thighs. A certain sign of pregnancy is the blue discoloration of the genitals, which results from this congestion of blood. A marked degree of leucorrhcea (the whites) is likewise apt to develop from the same cause. There is also a pronounced irritability of the bladder, owing to congestion and to the pressure of the growing fcetus. A frequent desire to urinate is a sign due to these causes.