Medical

Croup is an acute laryngitis of childhood, usually occurring between the ages of two and six years. The nervous element is more marked than in adults, so that the symptoms appear more alarming. The trouble frequently arises as part of a cold, or as a forerunner of a cold, and often is heralded by some […]

This is a condition caused by inequality of the outer surface of the front of the eyeball, and rarely by a similar defect in the surfaces of the lens. The curvature of the eyeball in the astigmatic eye is greater in one meridian than in the opposite. In other words, the front of the eyeball […]

There are various forms of inflammation of the mouth, generally dependent upon the entrance of germs, associated with indigestion or general weakness following some fever or other disease. Unclean nipples of the mother or of the bottle, or unclean bottles, allow entrance of germs, and are frequent causes. Irritation of a sharp tooth, or from […]

Gonorrhea in women is a much more frequent and serious disease than was formerly supposed. The general impression among the laity is that gonorrhea in women is limited to the prostitute and vicious classes who indulge in licentious relations. Unfortunately, this is not the case. There is perhaps more gonorrhea, in the aggregate, among virtuous […]

Eczema is really a catarrhal inflammation of the skin, with the exudate (fluid that escapes) concealed beneath the surface, or appearing on the surface after irritation has occurred. The many varieties are best classified as follows: (1) Eczema of internal origin, including cases due to morbid agencies produced within the body, cases due to drugs, […]

In the nearsighted eye the eyeball is too long for parallel rays entering the eye to be focused upon the retina; they are bent, instead, to a point in front of the retina, and then diverge making the vision blurred. The act of accommodation in making the lens more convex will not aid this condition, […]

The poison ivy ( Rhus toxicodendron ), poison sumach ( Rhus venenata ), and poison oak ( Rhus diversiloba of the Pacific Coast, U. S. A.) cause inflammation of the skin in certain persons who touch either one of these plants, or in some cases even if approaching within a short distance of them. The […]

SEXUAL HYGIENE BY KENELM WINSLOW Health and Purity Duties of Parents Abuse of the Sexual Function False Teachings Criminal Neglect Secure the Child’s Confidence The Best Corrections Marriage Relations. Every individual should know how to care for the sexual organs as well as those of any other part of the body, providing that the instruction […]

Warts are flattened or rounded outgrowths from the outer and middle layers of the skin, varying in size from a pin head to half an inch in diameter. There are several varieties. Seed Warts. These have numerous, little, fleshy projections over their surface, which are enlarged normal structures ( papillæ ) of the middle layer […]

This variety of rheumatism is quite distinct from the other forms, being in all probability due to some special germ. It occurs in temperate climates during the fall, winter, and spring less often in summer. Persons more frequently suffer between the ages of ten and forty years. It is rare in infants; their pain and […]

This is an acute inflammation of the mucous membrane of the larynx. The larynx is that part of the throat, in the region of the Adam’s apple, which incloses the vocal cords and other structures used in speaking. Hoarseness is commonly due to extension of catarrh from the nose in cold in the head and […]

A boil is a circumscribed inflammatory process, caused by the entrance of pus producing germs into the skin either through the pores (the mouths of the sweat glands) or along the shafts of the hair, and in this way invading the glands which secrete a greasy material (sebaceous glands). In either case the pus germs […]

Corns are local, cone shaped thickenings of the outer layer of the skin of the feet, due to pressure and friction of the shoes, or opposed surfaces of skin between the toes. They are not in themselves sensitive, but pain follows pressure upon them, as they act as foreign bodies in bearing down upon the […]

A slight or moderate earache, which may, however, be very persistent, not sufficient to incapacitate the patient or prevent sleep, is often caused by some obstruction in the Eustachian tube, either by swelling or mucous discharge. This condition gives rise to the train of effects noted in the section on deafness. The air in the […]

Eye strain is commonly due to either astigmatism, nearsightedness, farsightedness, or weakness of the eye muscles. The farsighted eye is one in which parallel rays entering the eye, as from a distance, come to a focus behind the retina. The retina is the sensitive area for receiving light impressions in the back of the eyeball. […]

There are six muscles attached to the outside of the eyeball which pull it in various directions, and so enable each eye to be directed upon a common point, otherwise objects will appear double. Weakness of these muscles or insufficiency, especially of those required to direct the eyes inward for near work, may lead to […]

The pain is usually of a shooting character, and the scalp is often exceedingly tender to pressure. They may be caused by exposure to cold, or by decayed teeth, or sometimes by inflammation of the middle ear (see Earache).

An “ulcerated tooth” begins as an inflammation in the socket of a tooth, and, if near its deepest part, causes great pain, owing to the fact that the pus formed can neither escape nor expand the unyielding bony wall of the socket. This explains why an abscess near the tooth is so much more painful […]