240

BLEEDING AT THE NOSE.

termine whether it ought to be stopped or not. It is a commonpractice to stop the bleeding, without considering whether it be adisease, or the cure of a disease. This conduct proceeds fromfear ; but it has often bad, and sometimes fatal consequences.

When a discharge of blood from the nose happens in an inflam-matory disease, there is always reason to believe that it may provesalutary ; and therefore it should be suffered to go on, at least aslong as the patient is not weakened by it.

When it happens to persons in perfect health, who are full ofblood, it ought not to be suddenly stopped, especially if the symp-toms of plethora, mentioned above, have preceded it. In this caseit cannot be stopped without risking the patient's life.

In fine, whenever bleeding at the nose relieves any bad symp-tom, and does not proceed so far as to endanger the patient's life,it ought not to be stopped. But when it returns frequently, or con-tinues till the pulse becomes low, the extremities begin to growcold, the lips pale, or the patient complains of being sick or faint,it must immediately be stopped.

For this purpose the patient should be set nearly upright, withhis head reclining a little, and his legs immersed in water aboutthe warmth of new milk. His hands ought likewise to be put inlukewarm water, and his garters may be tied a little tighter thanusual. Ligatures may be applied to the arms, about the placewhere they are usually made for bleeding, and with nearly the samedegree of tightness. These must be gradually slackened as theblood begins to stop, and removed entirely as soon as it gives over.

Sometimes dry lint put up the nostrils will stop the bleeding.When this does not succeed, dossils of lint dipped in strong spiritsof wine may be put up the nostrils, or if that cannot be had theymay be dipped in brandy. When it arises in elderly peo-ple, or returns too frequently, or continues till the patient be-comes faiut, it ought to be stopped as quick as possible : to effectthis, the patient sliould be exposed freely to cool air, and placednearly in the erect posture, with the head inclined somewhat back-ward ; drinking freely of cold liquor, and some saline medicine,*and living abstemiously. Besides these means, the patient mayimmerse his head in a pailful of cold water impregnated with themuriate of ammonia, or common salt, and snuff vinegar dilutedwith cold water up the nose ; or some astringent washf mayfrequently be thrown up the nostril from which the haemorrhageproceeds, by means of a syringe. At the same time the body, ifnecessary, may be kept open, with cooling purgatives, in order tomake some derivation from the blood-vessels of the head ; the pa-tient carefully avoiding all those circumstances which might eitherdetermine the blood to the head, or préventifs free return from it.

* Take Acidulated Infusion of Roses.

Make a draught, to be taken three or four

6 oz.

times a-day.

Nitrate of Potash, 1 drm.

t Take Powdered Alum,

£ drs.

Make a mixture ; of which, take three

Rose Water,

6 oz.

tab le -spoonsful every three hours.

Distilled Vinegar,

1 oz.

or

Make an injection.

Take Diluted Sulphuric Acid, 24 drps.

or

Water, I¿ oz.

Take Muriated Tincture of Iro'.i

. \)¡ drm

Syrup of Roses, 2 drs.

Distilled water,

6 os

Tincture of Opium, 15 drps.

Mix. and make an injectior..